THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


^ 


"Dear  me  I  how  stiff  and  proper  they  both  were."      P.  S35. 


THE 


CHAUTAUQUA  GIRLS 


AT  HOME. 


PANSY. 

AUTHOR    OF    "FOUR  GIRLS   AT    CHAUTAUQUA,"    "HOUSE 
HOLD  PUZZLES,"  "  ESTER  RIED,"  &C. 


BOSTON 

t>    LOTHROP    COMPANY 

FRANKLIN  AND   IIAWLEY   STREETS 


Entered,  accordicf  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873, 

BY  D.  LOTHROP  &  CO., 
IB  the  Office  of  the  L'oranan  of  Cor.iress  at  Washington 


25  a  o 


CONTENTS. 


PA6K. 

CHAPTER  I. 

TBEADING  ON  NEW  GEOUND     ...  7 

CHAPTER  II. 

FLOSSY  "BEGINS" 30 

CHAPTER  III. 

BURDENS 49 

CHAPTER  IV. 

COL.  BAKER'S  SABBATH  EVENING    .        .      72 
CHAPTER  V. 

NEW  MUSIC 87 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DISTURBING  ELEMENTS      ....      102 

13) 


16S0277 


4  CONTENTS. 

PAG* 

CHAPTER  VII. 

PRAYER-MEETING    AND   TABLEAUX  .      118 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

DR.  DENNIS'  STUDY 134 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  WHITE  SUNDAY 150 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  RAINY    EVENING          ....      166 

CHAPTER  XL 

THE  NEXT   THING 181 

CHAPTER  XII. 

SETTLING   QUESTIONS  ....      197 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

LOOKING   FOR  WORK  ....      211 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

AN  UNARMED   SOLDIER       ....      227 

CHAPTER  XV. 
MARION'S  PLAN  243 


CONTENTS.  6 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THEORY   VERSUS   PRACTICE         .  .  .      25£ 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  DISCUSSION 275 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   RESULT 291 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

KEEPING  THE  PROMISE      ....      307 

CHAPTER  XX. 

HOW  IT  WAS  DONE  ....      322 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

RUTH  AND  HAROLD  .  '  .  .      337 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

REVIVAL 355 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE   STRANGE   STORY  .  .  .  .308 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

LONELINESS          .  385 


O  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

>    THE   ADDED  NAME 401 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

LEARNERS 418 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
FLOSSY'S  PARTY 435 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

A  PARTING  GLANCE  451 


THE  CHAUTAUQUA  GIELS  AT 
HOME. 


CHAPTER  I. 


TBEADING  ON  NEW  GBOUND. 

HAT  last  Sabbath  of  August  was  a  lovely 
day ;  it  was  the  first  Sabbath  that  our 
girls  had  spent  at  home  since  the  revelation  of 
Chautauqua.  It  seemed  lovely  to  them.  "  The 
world  looks  as  though  it  was  made  over  new  in 
the  night,"  Eurie  had  said,  as  she  threw  open 
her  blinds,  and  drew  in  whiffs  of  the  sweet,  soft 
air.  And  the  church,  whither  these  girls  had  so 
often  betaken  themselves  on  summer  mornings, 
just  like  this  one  —  how  could  two  or  three 

(7) 


8  The   CJiautauqua   Crirh  at  Home. 

weeks  have  changed  it  ?  They  could  not  feel 
that  it  was  the  same  building. 

Hitherto  it  had  been  to  them  simply  the  First 
Church ;  grander,  by  several  degrees,  than  any 
other  church  in  the  city,  having  the  finest  choir, 
and  the  finest  organ,  and  the  most  elegant  car 
pets,  and  making  the  grandest  floral  display  of 
all  the  temples,  as  became  the  First  Church, 
of  course;  but  to-day,  this  glowing,  glorious 
August  day,  it  was  something  infinitely  above 
and  beyond  all  this ;  it  was  the  visible  temple  of 
the  invisible  God,  their  Saviour,  and  they  were 
going  up  to  worship  —  aye,  really  and  truly  to 
worship.  They,  in  their  different  ways,  accord 
ing  to  their  very  different  natures,  felt  this  and 
were  thrilled  with  it  as  their  feet  trod  the  aisles. 
People  can  feel  a  great  many  things,  and  not 
show  them  to  the  casual  observer.  Sitting  in 
their  respective  pews,  they  looked  in  no  sense 
different  from  the  way  they  had  looked  on  a 
hundred  different  Sabbaths  before  this. 

Ruth  Erskine,  in  the  corner  of  her  father's 
pew,  attired,  as  she  had  often  been  before,  in  the 
most  delicate  and  exquisite  of  summer  silks,  with 
exactly  the  right  shade  of  necktie,  gloves  and 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  9 

rnish,  to  set  off  the  beauty  of  the  dress,  with  the 
soft  and  delicate  laces  about  her  white  throat, 
for  which  she  was  especially  noted,  looked  not 
one  whit  different  from  the  lady  who  sat  there 
three  weeks  before.  You  wouldn't  have  known 
that  her  heart  was  singing  for  joy. 

Flossy  Shipley,  aglow  with  elegance,  as  she 
always  was,  looked  the  same  airy  butterfly  that 
had  flitted  in  and  out  of  that  church  on  many  a 
summer  day  before  ;  and  Marion,  in  her  corner 
in  the  gallery,  was  simply  the  grave,  somewhat 
weary-looking  school-teacher  at  one  of  the  wards 

—  "a  girl  with  infidel  tendencies,"  that  is  all  the 
great   congregation  knew   about  her ;   in  fact, 
comparatively  few  of  them  knew  even  that. 

Eurie  Mitchell  was  the  doctor's  eldest  daugh 
ter,  and  had  in  no  sense  improved  as  to  her  toilet 

—  "a  thing  which   could  hardly  be  expected, 
since  she  had  thrown  away  so  much  money  on 
that  wild  scheme  of  living  in  the  woods ;  "   that 
was  what  some   of   the   congregation   thought 
about  her. 

Dr.  Dennis  saw  all  these  girls,  and  looked 
gloomy  over  them  ;  he  was  in  the  mood  to  need 
sympathetic  hearers,  to  long  to  be  in  accord  with 


10          The  Chautauqua  Q-irls  at  Home. 

his  audience,  and  feel  that  they  could  sympa 
thize  with  him  in  his  reach  after  a  higher  type 
of  religion.  What  could  these  four  girls  know 
about  a  higher  type,  when  they  had  no  religion 
at  all,  and  had  been  spending  two  lawless  weeks 
in  looking  at  the  subject,  till  their  hearts  were 
either  attuned  to  ridicule  or  disgusted,  accord 
ing  to  their  several  temperaments?  That  was 
what  the  faces  of  our  four  girls  said  to  him.  Yet 
how  they  listened  to  his  sermon. 

"  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  with  thy 
likeness."  These  were  the  words  on  which  he 
spoke  ;  and  the  burden  of  his  thought  was  that 
satisfaction  was  not  to  be  sought  for  here  ;  noth 
ing  less  than  the  absolute  likeness  should  give 
absolute  satisfaction ;  and  this  likeness  was  to 
be  forever  eagerly,  earnestly,  constantly,  sought 
for,  striven  after,  until  some  day  would  coine 
that  blessed  awakening,  and  the  picture  would 
be  found  to  be  complete  I 

Was  it  the  best  sermon  that  had  ever  been 
preached?  Was  it  the  only  spiritual  sermon 
that  the  First  Church  people  had  ever  heard,  or 
was  it  that  four  girls  had  been  to  Chautauqua, 
and  there  learned  how  to  listen  ?  Their  cheeks 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  11 

glowed,  and  their  eyes  dilated  over  the  wonder 
ful  thoughts  that  the  subject  presented,  the  end 
less  possibility  for  climbing  I 

Marion  Wilbur  had  been  counted  ambitious ; 
she  had  longed  for  a  chance  to  reach  high  ;  here 
was  her  chance  ;  she  felt  it,  and  gloried  in  it ; 
she  meant  to  try.  Every  nerve  quivered  with 
the  determination,  and  the  satisfaction  of  realiz 
ing  that  she  belonged  to  the  great  royal  family. 
No  more  obscurity  for  her.  She  was  a  child  of 
the  King,  and  the  kingdom  was  in  view.  A 
crown,  aglow  with  jewels  —  nothing  less  must 
satisfy  her  now.  The  sermon  over,  the  hymn 
sung,  and  amid  the  pealing  of  the  organ,  as  it 
played  the  worshipers  down  the  aisles,  our  four 
girls  met. 

They  knew  each  other's  determination.  The 
next  thing  to  do  was  to  go  to  Sunday-school. 
But  I  suppose  you  have  no  idea  how  strangely 
they  felt ;  how  much  it  seemed  to  them  as  if 
they  were  children  who  had  come  to  a  party  un 
invited,  and  as  if  they  must  at  this  last  minute 
hide  their  heads  and  run  home.  The  very  effort 
to  go  up  to  the  Sunday-school  room  seemed  too 
much  a  cross  to  undertake. 


12  The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

There  were  so  many  to  stare,  and  look  their 
amazement ;  there  was  no  one  to  go  with  ;  no 
body  to  think  of  such  a  thing  as  asking  them  to 
go.  It  would  have  been  so  much  less  awkward 
if  they  could  have  followed  in  the  lead  of  one 
•who  had  said,  "  Won't  you  come  up  and  see  our 
Sunday-school  ?  " 

The  superintendent  passed  them  as  they  stood 
irresolute  ;  he  bowed  courteously,  and  no  more 
thought  of  asking  them  to  join  him  than  though 
they  had  been  birds  of  brilliant  plumage  flying 
by.  Dr.  Dennis  passed  them;  he  said  good- 
morning,  not  gladly,  not  even  graciously ;  he 
dreaded  those  girls,  and  their  undoubted  influ 
ence.  They  had  not  the  least  idea  how  much 
mischief  they  had  done  him  in  the  way  of  frit 
tering  away  his  influence  heretofore.  How 
should  they  know  that  he  dreaded  them  ?  On 
the  other  hand  how  was  he  to  know  that  they 
absolutely  longed  for  him  to  take  them  by  the 
hand,  and  say,  "  Come  ?  "  They  looked  at  him 
curiously  as  he  passed,  and  Eurie  said  : 

"  Doesn't  it  make  your  heart  beat  to  think  of 
going  to  him  in  his  study,  and  having  a  private 
talk?" 


Treading  on  New -Ground.  13. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Flossy,  "  I  never  shall  think 
of  such  a  thing.  I  couldn't  do  it  any  more  than 
I  could  fly." 

"  There  are  harder  things  than  that  to  do,  I 
suspect ;  and  it  will  come  to  a  visit  to  his  study 
if  we  are  to  unite  with  the  church ;  don't  you 
know  that  is  what  he  always  asks  of  those  ?  " 

And  then  these  girls  looked  absolutely  blank, 
for  to  two  of  them  the  thought  of  that  duty 
had  never  occurred  before  ;  they  did  not  un 
derstand  it  well  enough  to  know  that  it  was  a 
privilege. 

"  Well,"  said  Eurie,  rallying  first,  of  course, 
"  are  we  to  stand  here  gazing  around  us  all  day, 
because  nobody  knows  enough  to  invite  us  to  go 
upstairs  ?  It  is  clear  that  we  are  not  to  be  in 
vited.  They  are  all  come  —  all  the  Sabbath- 
school  people ;  and,  hark  1  why,  they  are  sing 
ing." 

"  Dear  me  I  "  said  Flossy  j  "  then  it  is  com 
menced  ;  I  hate  to  go  in  when  it  is  commenced. 
How  very  unfortunate  this  is  1 " 

"  Serves  us  right,"  said  Marion.  "  We  ought 
to  be  in  a  condition  to  invite  others,  instead  of 
waiting  here  to  be  invited.  I'll  tell  you  what, 


14  The  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Home. 

girls,  if  we  ever  get  to  feel  that  we  do  belong, 
let's  constitute  ourselves  a  committee  to  see  after 
timid  strangers,  like  ourselves,  and  give  them  a 
chance  in,  at  least." 

"  Well,"  said  Ruth,  speaking  for  the  first  time, 
"  shall  we  go  home  and  wait  till  next  Sunday, 
and  take  a  fair  start,  as  Flossy  says,  it  isn't  pleas 
ant  to  go  in  after  the  exercises  have  fairly 
opened  ?  "  As  she  said  this,  for  the  first  time 
in  her  life  Miss  Ruth  Erskine  began  to  have  a 
dim  idea  that  possibly  she  might  be  a  coward ; 
this  certainly  sounded  a  little  like  it. 

Each  waited  to  get  a  bit  of  advice  from  the 
other.  Both  Marion  and  Eurie,  it  must  be  con 
fessed,  bold  spirits  that  they  were,  so  dreaded 
this  ordeal,  that  each  hoped  the  other  would  ad 
vise  retreat  as  the  wisest  thing  to  be  done  next. 
It  was  Flossy  who  spoke : 

"  I  am  going  up  now ;  it  won't  be  any  easier 
next  Sunday,  and  I  want  to  begin." 

"  There  I "  said  Eurie,  "  that  is  just  what  1 
needed  to  shame  me  into  common  sense.  What 
a  company  of  idiots  we  are  I  Marion,  what 
would  you  think  of  a  day-scholar  who  would 
stand  shivering  outside  your  doors  for  this 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  15 

length  of  time?  Now  come  on,  all  of  you;" 
and  she  led  the  way  upstairs. 

How  very  awkward  it  was  I  It  was  during 
the  opening  prayer  that  they  arrived,  and  they 
had  to  stand  by  the  door  and  be  peeped  at  by 
irreverent  children;  then  they  had  to  invite 
themselves  to  a  vacant  seat  near  the  door.  The 
superintendent  came  that  way  presently,  and 
said: 

"  Good-morning,  young  ladies ;  so  you  have 
come  in  to  visit  our  school  ?  Glad  to  see  you ; 
it  is  a  pleasant  place,  I  think  you  will  find." 

"  That  is  extremely  doubtful,"  Eurie  said,  in 
undertone,  as  he  passed  on.  How  the  children 
did  stare ! 

"  They  are  certainly  unused  to  visitors,"  Ruth 
said,  growing  uncomfortable  under  such  pro 
longed  gazing.  "What  is  the  use  of  all  this, 
girls  ?  We  might  better  be  at  home." 

"If  we  had  grown  up  here,"  Eurie  said, 
bravely,  "  we  should  probably  have  our  place  by 
this  time.  It  all  comes  of  our  graceful  lives. 
But  I  must  say  they  make  it  very  easy  for  peo 
ple  to  stay  away.  Why  on  earth  don't  they  in 
vite  us  to  go  into  Bible  classes  ?  What  right 


16  The  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Some. 

have  they  to  take  it  for  granted  that  we  came 
out  of  pure  curiosity  ?  " 

The  business  of  the  hour  went  on,  and  our 
girls  were  still  left  unmolested.  As  the  new 
ness  wore  somewhat  away,  the  situation  begac 
to  grow  funny.  They  could  see  that  the  pastor 
and  the  superintendent  were  engaged  in  anxious 
conversation,  to  judge  by  the  gravity  of  their 
faces ;  and  as  their  eyes  occasionally  roved  in 
that  direction,  it  was  natural  to  suppose  they 
were  discussing  the  unexpected  visitors. 

Could  they  have  heard  the  anxious  talk  it 
would  have  been  a  solemn  comment  on  their 
reputations. 

"That  Morris  class  is  vacant  again  to-day," 
the  superintendent  was  saying ;  "  I  don't  know 
what  we  are  to  do  with  that  class  j  no  one  is 
willing  to  undertake  it." 

The  pastor  looked  toward  his  own  large  class 
waiting  for  him,  and  said,  with  a  weary  sigh : 

"  1  believe  I  shall  have  to  give  up  my  class  to 
some  one  and  take  that.  I  don't  want  to ;  it  13 
a  class  which  requires  more  nervous  energy  than 
I  have  at  command  at  this  hour  of  the  day.  But 
what  is  to  be  done  with  them  to-day  ?  " 


Treading  on  New.  Ground.  17 

"  Would  it  do  to  ask  one  of  the  y'/u^g  ladies 
on  the  visitors'  seat  ?  " 

And  then  the  eyes  of  the  two  men  turned 
toward  the  girls. 

**  They  are  afraid  of  us,"  whispered  Eurie,  her 
propensity  to  see  the  ludicrous  side  of  things  in 
no  whit  destroj'ed  by  her  conversion.  "  Look 
at  their  troubled  faces ;  they  think  that  we  are 
harbingers  of  mischief.  Oh  me  I  What  a  repu 
tation  to  have  1  But  I  declare  it  i*  funny." 
Whereupon  she  laughed  softly,  but  unmi-staka- 
bly. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  Dr.  Dennis'  eyes 
rested  on  her. 

"  Oh,  they  are  only  here  for  material  to  make 
sport  of,"  he  said,  gloomily ;  "  Miss  Erskine 
might  keep  the  boys  quiet  for  awhile  if  she 
chose  to  do  so,  I  suppose." 

"  Or  Miss  Wilbur.  Some  of  the  boys  in  that 
class  are  in  school,  in  her  ward ;  they  say  she 
has  grand  order." 

Dr.  Dennis'  face  grew  stern. 

"No,"  he  said,  "don't  ask  her;  at  least  we 
will  not  put  them  in  a  way  to  learn  error,  if  we 
can  teach  them  nothing  good.  Miss  Wilbur  is 


18  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

an  infidel.  .1  don't  know  what  is  to  be  done 
with  that  class,  as  you  say.  Poor  Morris,  I  am 
afraid,  will  never  be  able  to  take  it  again  ;  and 
he  was  utterly  discouraged  with  them,  anyway. 
They  get  no  good  here  that  I  can  see ;  and  they 
certainly  do  infinite  mischief  to  the  rest  of  the 
school." 

"  But  at  the  same  time  I  suppose  we  cannot 
send  them  away  ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly  not.  Well,  suppose  you  try  if 
Miss  Evskine  will  sit  there,  and  try  to  awe  them 
by  her  dignity  for  awhile.  And  this  week  we 
must  see  what  can  be  done  ;  she  won't  try  it, 
though,  I  presume." 

It  ended  in  the  superintendent  coming  toward 
them  at  last.  He  didn't  like  to  be  too  personal 
in  his  request,  so  he  took  the  general  way  of 
putting  a  question,  resting  in  the  belief  that  each 
would  refuse,  and  that  then  he  could  press  the 
task  on  Miss  Erskine. 

"  We  are  short  of  teachers  to-day ;  would  one 
of  you  be  willing  to  sit  with  that  class  at  your 
right,  and  try  to  interest  them  a  little  ?  They 
are  a  sad  set ;  very  little  can  be  done  with  them, 
but  we  have  to  try/' 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  19 

I  shall  have  to  confess  that  both  Ruth  and 
Marion  were  appalled.  The  one  shrank  as  much 
as  the  other.  If  it  had  been  a  class  in  mathe 
matics  or  philosophy  Marion  would  have  beeu 
confident  of  her  powers ;  but  she  felt  so  very 
ignorant  of  the  Bible.  She  had  come  in,  hoping 
and  expecting  a  chance  to  slip  into  a  grand  Bi 
ble  class,  where  she  might  learn  some  of  the  in 
ner  truths  of  that  glorious  lesson  that  she  had 
been  trying  to  study.  But  to  teach  it  I  This 
seemed  impossible.  As  for  Ruth,  no  thought  of 
such  an  experience  had  as  yet  come  to  her. 
They,  therefore,  maintained  a  dismayed  silence. 
Eurie  was  frank. 

"  I  can't  teach,"  she  said ;  "  I  don't  under 
stand  it  myself.  I  shouldn't  have  the  least  idea 
what  to  say  to  any  one  about  the  Bible  lesson.'* 
And  then  they  all  turned  and  stared  in  a  maze 
of  surprise  and  perplexity  at  little  fair-haired 
Flossy. 

"  I  would  like  to  try,"  she  said,  simply ;  "  I 
have  thought  about  the  lesson  all  the  week ;  I 
am  not  sure  that  I  can  teach  anything,  but  1 
should  like  to  talk  the  story  over, with  them  if 
they  will  let  me." 


20  Tfte  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Some. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  lead  this  ex  • 
quisite  bit  of  flesh  and  blood,  in  her  dainty  sum 
mer  toilet,  before  that  rough  and  rollicking  class 
of  boys,  old  enough,  some  of  them,  to  be  called 
young  men,  but  without  an  idea  as  to  the  man 
ner  of  conduct  that  should  honor  that  name.  It 
would  be  hard  to  tell  which  was  the  most 
amazed  and  embarrassed,  the  superintendent  or 
the  girls  whom  Flossy  left  looking  after  her. 
They  were  quite  sobered  now ;  they  did  not 
want  Flossy  to  come  to  grief.  A  tender  feeling 
that  was  new  and  sweet  had  sprung  up  in  the 
heart  of  each  of  them  toward  her. 

*'  That  innocent  little  kitten  knows  no  more 
what  she  has  undertaken  than  if  she  were  a 
dove,"  said  Marion,  dismay  and  discomfort  strug 
gling  in  her  face.  "  Why,  she  might  as  well  be 
Daniel  in  the  den  of  lions." 

"  Well,"  said  Eurie,  speaking  gravely,  "  he 
came  out  all  right,  you  know."  Then  she  hailed 
the  passing  superintendent : 

"  Mr.  Stuart,  isn't  there  a  Bible  class  that  we 
can  go  in  ?  We  didn't  come  to  look  on.  We 
want  to  study  the  lesson." 

"Oh,  why,  yes,  certainly,"  Mr.  Stuart  said, 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  21 

stammering  and  looking  unutterable  astonish 
ment.  "  Where  would  they  like  to  go  ?  There 
were  two  vacant  seats  in  Mr.  Pembrook's  class, 
and  one  in  Judge  Elmore's." 

Ruth  instantly  chose  Judge  Elmore's,  and  left 
Marion  and  Eurie  to  make  their  way  to  the  va 
cant  places  in  Mr.  Pembrook's  class. 

The  young  ladies  of  the  class  moved  along 
and  made  room  for  the  new  comers,  and  the 
teacher  carefully  told  them  what  chapter  and 
verse  were  being  studied.  They  found  their 
places,  and  Mr.  Pembrook  searched  laboriously 
for  his.  He  had  lost  the  spot  on  his  lesson  leaf 
where  he  had  read  the  last  question,  and  he  was 
ill  at  sea. 

"  Let    me     see,"    he     said,     "  where     were 


None  of  them  seemed  to  know  j  at  least  they 
gave  him  no  information.  One  of  them  tried  to 
button  a  glove  that  was  too  small  for  her  ;  one 
yawned  behind  her  Bible,  and  the  most  utter  in 
difference  in  regard  to  the  lesson  or  the  school 
seemed  to  prevail. 

"  Oh,"  said  Mr.  Pembrook,  "  here  is  where  we 
were.  I  was  just  reading  the  thirtieth  verse: 


22          The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

4  As  he  spake  these  words  many  believed  on  him.' 
Who  spake  them  ?  " 

"Jesus,"  one  answered,  speaking  the  word 
with  a  yawn. 

"  What  did  Jesus  say-  next  ?  " 

The  next  young  lady  thus  appealed  to,  hur 
riedly  looked  up  the  place  in  her  Bible  and 
read: 

"  *  Then  said  Jesus  to  those  Jews  which  be 
lieved  on  him,  if  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then 
are  ye  my  disciples  indeed.'  " 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Pembrook,  after  a  thought 
ful  pause,  "  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  anything 
to  say  on  that  verse ;  it  is  all  there.  Will  you 
read  the  next  verse  ?  " 

Now  the  "  you "  whom  he  timidly  addressed 
was  our  Marion.  She  doesn't  understand  even 
now  why  her  heart  should  have  throbbed  so 
strangely ;  and  her  voice  trembled  as  she  read 
aloud  the  simple  words : 

"  *  And  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth 
shall  make  you  free.'  " 

"  Free  from  what  ?  "  she  asked  abruptly. 

The  class  stared.  Clearly  the  art  of  asking 
questions  was  an  unknown  accomplishment  in 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  23 

x 

that  class.  Mr.  Pembrook  looked  at  her  through 
his  glasses;  then  he  pushed  his  glasses  up  on 
his  forehead.  Finally  he  took  them  off,  and 
rubbed  them  carefully  with  the  skirt  of  his  coat 
before  he  essayed  to  answer. 

"Why,  my  dear  young  lady,  I  suppose  it 
means  free  from  sin.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
was  speaking  to  his  people,  you  know,  to  Chris 
tian  people." 

"  Are  Christian  people  free  from  sin  ?  " 

There  was  no  note  of  cavil  in  Marion's  voice. 
Her  eyes  were  earnest  and  serious;  and  she 
waited,  as  one  waits  in  honest  perplexity,  to  have 
a  puzzle  solved.  But  she  was  known  as  one  who 
held  dangerous,  even  infidel  notions,  and  Mr. 
Pembrook,  bewildered  as  to  how  to  answer  her, 
seemed  to  feel  that  probably  a  rebuke  was  what 
she  needed. 

"  It  is  not  for  us  to  find  fault  with  the  words 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  my  dear  young  lady. 
He  spoke  them,  and  they  must  mean  what  they 
gay.  We  are  to  accept  them  in  all  sincerity  and 
humility,  remembering  that  what  we  know  not 
now  we  shall  know  hereafter.  That  is  the  Chri*~ 
tian  way  to  do." 


24  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

And  then  he  cleared  his  throat  and  asked  the 
next  young  lady  to  read  the  next  verse. 

Two  bright  spots  glowed  on  Marion's  cheeks. 
She  bent  her  head  low  over  her  Bible,  and  it  was 
•with  difficulty  that  she  kept  a  rush  of  tears  from 
filling  her  eyes.  Had  she  seemed  to  cavil  at 
the  words  of  her  Lord  when  she  simply  longed 
with  all  her  soul  to  understand  ?  Did  the  prom 
ise  mean,  You  shall  be  free  from  sin  ?  Had  she 
a  right  to  look  forward  to  and  hope  for  the  time 
when  sin  should  have  no  more  dominion  ?  Then 
that  other  sentence :  "  Continue  in  my  work." 
Just  what  did  it  mean?  Could  one  who  was 
searching  it  eagerly  and  prayerfully,  and  trying 
to  abide  by  its  directions,  be  said  to  be  continu 
ing  in  it  ? 

There  were  a  dozen  questions  that  she  longed 
to  ask.  She  had  sought  the  Sabbath-school  this 
morning  in  search  of  help.  She  felt  blind  and 
lame,  unable  to  take  a  step  in  any  direction  lest 
in  her  ignorance  she  should  err,  as  already  she 
had.  Something  in  her  way  of  speaking  of 
these  things  must  be  radically  wrong.  She  had 
misled  this  good  man.  It  was  no  use  to  ask  him 
questions. 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  25 

As  the  lesson  progressed  there  appeared  other 
reasons  why  she  need  not  question  him.  Clearly 
the  good  man  knew  nothing  about  his  lesson 
save  the  questions  contained  on  the  bit  of  paper 
before  him.  It  was  entirely  evident  that  he  had 
not  looked  at  the  verses,  nor  thought  of  them 
until  he  came  before  his  class. 

It  was  equally  plain  that  his  scholars  were 
entirely  accustomed  to  this  state  of  things,  and 
were  careful  to  follow  his  example.  He  could 
read  a  question  at  them  from  his  lesson  paper, 
and  they  could  read  an  answer  back  to  him  from 
their  Bibles,  and  this  was  all  that  either  party 
expected  of  the  other.  Why  these  young  ladies 
continued  to  come  Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  and 
go  over  this  weary  routine  of  question  and  an 
swer  was  a  mystery  to  Marion. 

She  came  away  from  the  school  in  a  most  un- 
comfortable  frame  of  mind.  That  to  which  she 
had  looked  forward  all  the  week  had  proved  a 
disappointment  and  a  failure;  She  was  almost 
inclined  to  say  that  she  would  have  no  more  to 
do  with  Sunday-schools ;  that  they  really  were 
the  humbug  that  she  had  always  supposed  them. 

"  Imagine  my  going  to  a   philosophy   class, 


26          The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

knowing  no  more  about  the  lesson  than  that  old 
man  did  to-day  1  "  she  said  to  Eurie,  as  they 
walked  down  to  the  corner  of  Elm  Street  to 
gether. 

"  I  know,"  said  Eurie,  speaking  with  unusual 
thoughtfulness  ;  "  but  suppose  you  were  dull  in 
the  class,  if  it  were  known  after  all  that  you 
could  make  the  most  brilliant  philosophical  ex 
periments  you  would  probably  be  listened  to 
with  respect." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Marion  bewil 
dered. 

"  Why,  I  mean  that  Deacon  Pembrook  can 
perform  the  experiments  successfully.  In  other 
words,  to  come  down  to  your  comprehension,  he 
succeeds  in  living  so  pure  and  careful  a  Christian 
life  that  he  has  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
everybody.  What  if  he  can't  preach  ?  He  can 
practice.  However,  I  am  willing  to  admit  that 
the  dear  old  man  would  be  more  edifying  if  he 
would  study  his  lesson  a  little.  Wasn't  it  funny 
to  think  of  calling  that  *  teaching  ? ' "  And  then 
this  volatile  young  lady  laughed.  But  her  mor 
alizing  had  done  Marion  good. 

She   said  good-morning  more   cheerily,  and 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  27 

on  her  way  thinking  over  the  many  things 
that  she  had  heard  in  honor  of  Deacon  Pern- 
brook  ;  so  that  by  the  time  she  had  reached  her 
boarding-house,  although  his  teaching  would 
certainly  make  a  very  poor  show,  yet  his  sweet 
Christian  life  had  come  up  to  plead  for  him,  and 
Marion  was  forced  to  feel  that  the  truth  had 

made  him  free." 

"  But  it  is  a  real  pity  not  to  study  his  lesson," 
she  said,  as  she  went  about  her  gloomy-looking 
room.  Those  girls  didn't  get  a  single  idea  to 
help  them  in  any  way.  Some  of  them  need 
ideas  badly  enough.  Two  or  three  of  them 
are  members  of  the  church,  I  am  sure.  That 
Allie  March  is,  but  she  has  no  ideas  on  any 
subject;  you  can  see  that  in  the  grammar 
class." 

And  .then  Marion  remembered  that  Allie 
March  was  in  her  grammer  class  ;  and  Allie  was 
a  professed  Christian.  Could  she  help  her?  It 
was  not  pride  in  Marion,  but  she  had  to  smile  at 
the  thought  of  herself  being  helped  by  so  very 
third-rate  a  brain  as  that  which  Allie  March  pos 
sessed.  And  then  she  paused,  with  her  hand  on 
the  clothes-press  door,  and  her  face  glowed  at 


28  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

the  new  and  surprising  thought  that  just  then 
came  to  her. 

"  Would  it  not  be  possible  for  her,  Marion 
Wilbur,  to  help  Allie  March,  even  in  her  Chris 
tian  life  1 " 

All  that  afternoon,  though,  she  went  about  or 
gat  down  in  her  room  with  a  sense  of  loneliness. 
No  one  to  speak  to  who  could  understand  and 
would  believe  in  her,  even  in  the  Sunday-school 
they  were  afraid  of  her.  How  could  she  help 
or  be  helped,  while  this  state  of  things  lasted  ? 

It  was  in  the  early  twilight  that,  as  she  sat 
with  her  hat  and  sack  on,  waiting  for  Eurie,  who 
had  engaged  to  call  for  her  to  go  to  church,  she 
strayed  across  a  verse  or  two  in  her  new  posses 
sion,  the  Bible,  that  touched  the  point.  It  was 
where  Saul  "essayed  to  join  himself  to  the 
disciples ;  but  they  were  all  afraid  of  him,  and 
believed  not  that  he  was  a  disciple."  Her  expe 
rience  precisely  I  They  were  afraid  of  her  influ 
ence  ;  afraid  of- her  tongue  ;  afraid  of  her  exam 
ple  ;  and,  indeed,  what  reason  had  they  to  feel 
otherwise  ?  But  she  read  on,  that  blessed  verse 
wherein  it  says  :  "But  Barnabas  took  him,  and 
brought  him  to  the  apostles,  and  declared  unto 


Treading  on  New  Ground.  29 

them  how  he  had  seen  the  Lord  in  the  way,  and 
that  he  had  spoken  to  him."  She  was  reading 
this  for  the  second  time,  when  Eurie  came. 

"  See  here,  Eurie,  read  this,"  she  said,  as  she 
passed  her  the  Bible  and  made  her  final  prepara 
tions  for  church.  "  Isn't  that  our  experience  ? 
I  mean  I  think  it  is  to  be  ours.  Judging  from 
to-day  as  a  foretaste,  they  will  be  afraid  of  us 
and  believe  not  that  we  are  disciples." 

Eurie  laughed,  a  quick  little  laugh  th«t  had 
an  undertone  of  feeling  in  it,  as  she  said : 

"  Well,  then,  I  hope  we  shall  find  a  Barnabas 
to  vouch  for  us  before  long." 

And  Marion  knew  that  she,  too,  felt  the  lone 
liness  and  the  sense  of  belonging  to  no  one. 
"  We  must  help  each  other  very  much,  we  girls." 
This  she  said  to  herself  as  they  went  dowo  the 
steps  together. 


CHAPTER  II. 

FLOSSY    "BEGINS." 

JLOSSY  SHIPLEY'S  first  day  at  Sab- 
bath -school  was  different.  She  went 
over  to  the  class  of  boys,  who  were  al 
most  young  men,  with  trepidation  indeed,  and 
yet  with  an  assured  sort  of  feeling  that  they 
would  be  quiet.  Just  how  she  was  going  to  ac 
complish  this  she  was  not  certain.  She  had 
studied  the  words  of  the  lesson  most  carefully 
and  prayerfully ;  indeed,  they  had  been  more  in 
her  mind  all  the  week  than  had  anything  else. 
At  the  same  time,  she  by  no  means  understood 
how  to  teach  those  words  and  thoughts  to  the 
style  of  young  men  who  were  now  before  her. 

Still,  there  was  that  in  Flossy  which  always 
held  the    attention   of    the    young  men ;    she 
(80) 


Flo$sy  "Begin*."  81 

knew  this  to  be  the  case,  and,  without  under 
standing  what  her  peculiar  power  was,  she  felt 
that  she  had  it,  and  believed  that  she  could  call 
it  into  service  for  this  new  work.  They  stared 
at  her  a  little  as  she  took  her  seat,  then  they 
nudged  each  other,  and  giggled,  and  looked 
down  at  their  dusty  boots,  guiltless  of  any  at 
tempt  at  being  black,  and  shuffled  them  in  a  way 
to  make  a  disagreeable  noise. 

They  knew  Flossy  —  that  is,  they  knew  what 
street  she  lived  on,  and  how  the  outside  of  her 
father's  house  looked,  and  what  her  standing  in 
society  was;  they  knew  nothing  of  her  in  the 
capacity  of  a  Sunday-school  teacher  ;  and,  truth 
to  tell,  they  did  not  believe  she  could  teach. 
She  was  a  doll  set  up  before  them  for  them  to 
admire  and  pretend  to  listen  to ;  they  did  not 
intend  to  do  it ;  she  had  nothing  in  common 
with  them ;  they  had  a  right  to  make  her  un 
comfortable  if  they  could,  and  they  were  sure 
that  they  could.  This  was  the  mood  in  which 
she  found  them. 

"  Good-morning,"  she  said,  brightly ;  and  they 
glanced  at  each  other,  and  shuffled  their  feet 
louder,  and  some  of  them  chuckled  louder,  while 
one  of  them  said : 


32  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

"  It's  rather  late  in  the  morning,  ain't  it?  We 
got  up  quite  a  spell  ago." 

This  passed  for  a  joke,  and  they  laughed 
aloud.  At  this  point  Flossy  caught  Dr.  Dennis' 
distressed  face  turned  that  way.  It  was  not  re 
assuring  ;  he  evidently  expected  disastrous  times 
in  that  corner.  Flossy  ignored  the  discourteous 
treatment  of  her  "  good-morning,"  and  opened 
her  Bible. 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  said,  with  a  soft  little 
laugh,  "that  I  haven't  the  least  idea  how  to 
teach  a  Sunday-school  lesson  ?  I  never  did  such 
a  thing  in  my  life  ;  so  you  mustn't  expect  wis 
dom  from  me.  The  very  most  I  can  do  is  to  talk 
the  matter  over  with  you,  and  ask  you  what  you 
think  about  it." 

Whereupon  they  looked  at  each  other  again 
and  laughed  ;  but  this  time  it  was  a  puzzled  sort 
of  laugh.  This  was  a  new  experience.  They 
had  had  teachers  who  knew  extremely  little 
about  the  lesson,  and  proved  it  conclusively,  but 
never  once  did  they  own  it.  Their  plan  had 
rather  been  to  assume  the  wisdom  of  Solomon, 
and  in  no  particular  to  be  found  wanting  in  in 
formation.  They  did  not  know  what  answer  to 
make  to  Flossy. 


Flossy  "Begin*."  83 

"  Have  you  Bibles  ?  "  she  asked  them. 

"No." 

"  Well,  here  are  Lesson  Leaves.  These  are 
pieces  of  the  Bible,  I  suppose.  Are  they  nice  ? 
I  don't  know  anything  about  them.  I  have 
never  been  in  Sunday-school,  you  see ;  not  since 
I  was  a  little  girl.  What  are  these  cards  for, 
please  ?  " 

Now,  they  understood  all  about  the  manage 
ment  of  the  library  cards,  and  the  method  of 
giving  out  books  by  their  means,  and  Flossy  was 
so  evidently  ignorant,  and  so  puzzled  by  their 
attempts  at  explanation,  and  asked  so  many 
questions,  and  took  so  long  to  understand  it, 
that  they  really  became  very  much  interested  in 
making  it  clear  to  her,  and  then  in  helping  her 
carry  out  the  programme  which  they  had  ex 
plained  ;  and  every  one  of  them  had  a  queer 
sense  of  relationship  to  the  school  that  they  had 
not  possessed  before.  They  knew  more  than 
she  did,  and  she  was  willing  to  own  it. 

"Now  about  this  lesson,"  she  said,  at  last. 
"  I  really  don't  see  how  people  teach  such  les 
sons." 

"  They  don't,"  said  one  whom  they  called 
••  Rich.  Johnson."  "  They  just  pretend  to,  and 


34  The  Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

they  go  around  it,  and  through  it,  and  ask  baby 
questions,  and  pretend  that  they  know  a  great 
deal ;  that's  the  kind  of  teaching  that  we  are 
used  to." 

Flossy  laughed. 

"  You  won't  get  it  to-day,"  she  said,  "  for  I 
certainly  don't  know  a  great  deal,  and  I  don't 
know  how  to  pretend  that  I  do.  But  I  like  to 
read  about  this  talk  that  Christ  had  with  the 
people  ;  and  I  should  have  liked  of  all  things  to 
have  been  there  and  heard  him.  1  would  like 
to  go  now  to  the  place  where  he  was.  Wouldn't 
you  like  to  go  to  Jerusalem  ?  " 

What  an  awkward  way  they  had  of  looking 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  nudging  each  other. 
Rich.  Johnson  seemed  to  be  the  speaker  for  the 
class.  He  spoke  now  in  a  gruff,  unprepossess 
ing  voice ; 

"  I'd  enough  sight  rather  go  to  California." 

The  others  thought  this  a  joke,  and  laughed 
accordingly.  Flossy  caught  at  it. 

"  California,"  she  said,  brightly.  "  Oh,  I've 
been  there.  I  doi>'t  wonder  that  you  want  to 
go.  It  is  a  grand  country.  I  saw  some  of  those 
great  trees  that  we  have  heard  about." 


"Flossy  laid  her  Bible  in  her  lap    and  began.  P.  35. 


Flossy  "Begins"  35 

And  forthwith  she  launched  into  an  eager  de 
scription  of  the  mammoth  tree  ;  and  as  they 
leaned  forward,  and  asked  now  and  then  an  in 
telligent  question,  Flossy  blessed  the  good  for 
tune  that  had  made  her  her  father's  chosen  com 
panion  on  his  hasty  trip  to  California  the  yeai 
before.  What  had  all  the  trees  in  California  to 
do  with  the  Sabbath-school  lesson  ?  Nothing. 
of  course ;  but  Flossy  saw  with  a  little  thrill  of 
satisfaction  that  the  boys  were  becoming  inter 
ested  in  her. 

"But  for  all  that,"  she  said,  coming  back  sud 
denly,  "  I  should  like  ever  so  much  to  go  to  Je 
rusalem.  I  felt  so  more  and  more,  after  I  went 
to  that  meeting  at  Chautauqua,  and  saw  the  city 
all  laid  out  and  a  model  of  the  very  temple,  you 
know,  where  Jesus  was  when  he  spoke  these 
words." 

They  did  not  laugh  this  time  ;  on  the  con 
trary,  they  looked  interested.  She  could  de 
scribe  a  tree,  perhaps  she  had  something  else 
worth  hearing. 

"  What's  that  ?  "  said  Rich.  "  That's  some 
thing  I  never  heard  of." 

And  then  Flossy  laid  her  Bible  in  her  lap,  and 


36  The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

began  to  describe  the  living  picture  of  th<j  \l\  \j 
Laud,  as  she  had  seen  and  loved  it  at  Cbautau 
qua.  Of  course  you  know  that  she  did  tha* 
well.  Was  not  her  heart  there  ?  Had  she  not 
found  a  new  love,  and  life,  and  hope,  while  she 
\\alked  those  sunny  paths  that  led  to  Bethany, 
and  to  the  Mount  of  Olives?  Every  one  of  tht 
boys  listened,  and  some  of  them  questioned  , 
and  Rich,  said,  when  she  paused  : 

"  Well,  now,  that's  an  idea,  I  declare,  i 
wouldn't  mind  seeing  it  myself." 

And  to  each  one  of  them  came  a  glimmering 
feeling  that  there  actually  was  such  a  city  as  Je 
rusalem,  and  such  a  person  as  Jesus  Christ  did 
really  live,  and  walk,  and  talk  here  on  the  earth. 
Then  Flossy  took  up  her  Bible  again. 

"  But,  of  course,  the  next  best  thing  to  going 
to  places,  and  actually  seeing  people,  is  to  read 
about  them,  and  find  out  what  the  people  said 
and  did.  I  like  these  verses  especially,  because 
they  mean  ua  as*  well  as  thoss  to  whom  they 
were  spoken.  Look  at  this  verse.  I  have  been 
all  the  week  over  it,  and  I  don't  see  but  I  shall 
have  to  stay  over  it  all  my  life.  4  Then  said  Je 
sus,  If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my 


Fktsy  "Segim."  87 

disciples  indeed.'  Just  think  how  far  that 
reaches  I  All  through  the  words  of  Jesus.  So 
many  et  them,  so  many  things  to  do,  and  so  many 
not  to  do ;  and  then  not  only  to  begin  to  follow 
them,  but  to  continue  ;  day  after  day  getting  a 
little  farther,  and  knowing  a  little  more.  After 
all,  it's  very  fascinating  work,  isn't  it  ?  If  it  i» 
hard,  like  climbing  a  mountain,  one  gets  nearei 
the  top  all  the  while ;  and  when  you  do  really 
reach  the  top,  how  splendid  it  is  I  Or,  doing  a 
hard  piece  of  work,  it's  so  nice  to  get  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  end  of  it,  and  feel  that  you  have 
done  it." 

One  of  the  boys  yawned.  It  was  not  so  inter 
esting  as  the  description  of  the  miniature  Jeru 
salem.  One  of  them  looked  sarcastic.  This  way 
Rich. 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  ever  was  anybody  lik* 
that  ?  "  he  asked,  and  the  most  lofty  incredulity 
was  in  his  voice. 

14  Like  what  ?  " 

"  Why,  that  followed  out  that  kind  of  talk.  I 
know  enough  about  the  Bible  to  know  they  are 
mighty  scarce.  I'd  go  to  Jerusalem  on  foot  to 
see  a  real  one.  Where's  the  folks,  I'd  like  to 


38          The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

know,  that  live  up  to  half  of  the  things  it  says 
in  the  Bible  ?  Why,  they  even  say  it  can't  be 
done,  and  that's  why  it  seems  all  bosh  to  me. 
What  was  the  use  of  putting  it  in  there  if  it 
can't  be  done  ?  " 

Here  was  one  who  had  evidently  thought,  and 
thought  seriously  about  these  things.  Is  there 
a  boy  of  seventeen  in  our  country  who  has  not  ? 
Flossy  felt  timid.  How  should  she  answer  the 
sharp,  sarcastic  words  ?  He  had  been  studying 
inconsistencies,  and  had  grown  bitter.  The 
others  looked  on  curiously  ;  they  had  a  certain 
kind  of  pride  in  Rich.  He  was  their  genius  who 
held  all  the  teachers  at  bay  with  his  ingenious 
tongue.  But  Flossy  had  been  at  a  morning 
meeting  in  Chautauqua  where  there  was  talk 
on  this  very  subject.  It  came  back  to  her 
now. 

"  As  for  being  able  to  do  it,"  she  said,  quickly, 
"  I  don't  feel  sure  that  we  have  anything  to  do 
with  that,  until  we  have  convinced  ourselves 
that  we  have  been  just  as  good  as  we  possibly 
could.  Honestly,  now,  do  you  think  you  have 
been  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Rich.,  promptly  ;  "  of  course  not. 


Flossy  "Begin*."  89 

And,  what  is  more,  I  never  pretended  that  I 

was." 

"  Well,  I  know  /haven't  been  j  I  am  perfectly 
certain  that  in  a  hundred  ways  I  could  have 
done  better.  Why,  there  is  nothing  that  I  could 
not  have  improved  upon  if  I  had  tried.  So  by 
our  own  confessions  what  right  have  you  and  I 
to  stumble  over  not  being  able  to  be  perfect,  so 
long  as  we  have  not  begun  to  be  as  near  it  as  we 
could?" 

How  was  he  to  answer  this  ? 

"  Oh,  well,"  he  said,  "  I  haven't  made  any  pre 
tensions  ;  I'm  talking  about  those  who  have." 
"  That's  exactly  like  myself ;  and,  as  nearly  as  I 
can  see,  we  both  belong  to  the  class  who  knew 
our  duty,  and  hud  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Now, 
I  want  to  tell  you  that  I  have  decided  not  to 
stand  with  that  class  any  longer." 

Flossy  paused  an  instant,  caught  her  breath, 
and  a  rich  flush  spread  over  her  pretty  face. 
This  was  her  first  actual  "  witnessing  "  outside 
of  the  narrow  limits  of  her  intimate  three  friends 
who  all  sympathized. 

"  i  gave  myself  to  this  Jesus  when  I  was  at 
Chautauqua,"  I  said  to  him  ;  "  that  I  had  stood 


40  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

one  side,  and  had  nothing  to  do  with  his  words 
all  my  life ;  just  taken  his  favors  in  silence  and 
indifference,  but  that  for  the  future  I  was  to  be 
long  to  him.  Now,  of  course,  I  don't  know  how 
many  times  I  shall  fail,  nor  how  many  things  I 
shall  fail  in.  The  most  I  know  is,  that  I  mean 
to  *  continue.'  After  all,  don't  you  see  that  the 
verse  doesn't  say,  If  you  are  perfect,  but  simply, 
*  If  you  continue.'  Now,  if  I  am  trying  to  climb 
a  hill,  it  makes  a  difference  with  my  progress,  to 
be  sure,  whether  I  stumble  and  fall  back  a  few 
steps  now  and  then.  But  for  all  that  I  may  con 
tinue  to  climb ;  and  if  I  do  I  shall  be  sure  to 
reach  the  top.  So  now  my  resolution  is  to  '  con 
tinue  '  in  his  words  all  the  rest  of  my  life." 

She  did  not  ask  Rich,  to  do  the  same.  She 
said  not  a  word  to  him  about  himself.  She  said 
not  a  personal  word  to  one  of  them,  but  every 
boy  there  felt  himself  asked  to  join  her.  More 
than  that,  not  a  boy  of  them  but  respected  her. 
It  is  wonderful,  after  all,  how  rarely  in  this 
wicked  world  we  meet  with  other  than  respect 
in  answer  to  a  frank  avowal  of  our  determina 
tion  to  be  on  the  Lord's  side.  They  were  all 
quiet  for  an  instant ;  and  again  Flossy  caught 


Flossy  "Begins"  41 

v  glimpse  of  Dr.  Dennis'  face.  It  looked  per 
plexity  and  distrust.  Was  she  telling  them  a 
fairy  story,  or  teaching  them  a  new  game  of 
whist  ? 

"  Then  there  is  such  a  grand  promise  in  this 
lesson,"  Flossy  went  on.  "I  like  it  ever  so 
much  for  that.  *  And  ye  shall  know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free. ' : 

"  Free  from  what  ?  "  asked  Rich.,  abruptly. 
The  very  question  that  Miss  Marion  Wilbur  had 
asked  in  such  anxiety.  But  Flossy  was  in  a 
measure  prepared  for  him.  It  chanced  that 
she  had  asked  Evan  Roberts  that  self-same  ques 
tion. 

"  Why,  free  from  the  power  and  dominion  of 
Satan ;  not  belonging  to  him  any  more,  and  hav 
ing  a  strength  that  is  beyond  and  above  any 
thing  earthly  to  lean  upon,  stronger  than  Satan's 
power  can  ever  be." 

Rich,  gave  a  scornful  little  laugh. 

"  He  is  an  old  fellow  that  I  don't  particularly 
believe  in,"  he  said,  loftily,  as  though  that  for 
ever  settled  the  question  as  to  the  existence  of 
such  a  person.  "  I  think  a  fellow  is  a  silly  cow 
ard  who  lays  the  blame  of  his  wickedness  off  on 


42          The  Chautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

Satan's  shoulders ;  just  as  if  Satan  could  make 
him  do  what  he  didn't  choose  to  do  I  always  sup 
posing  that  there  is  such  a  creature." 

Oh  wise  and  wily  Flossy  I  She  knew  he  was 
wrong.  She  knew  he  had  contradicted  his  own 
logic,  used  but  a  few  minutes  before,  but  she 
did  not  attempt  to  prove  it  to  him  ;  for,  in  the 
first  place,  she  felt  instinctively  that  the  most 
difficult  thing  in  the  world  is  to  convince  an  ig 
norant  person  that  he  has  been  foolish  and  illog 
ical  in  his  argument.  You  may  prove  this  to  an 
intelligent  mind  that  is  accustomed  to  reason, 
and  to  weigh  the  merits  of  questions,  but  it  is  a 
rare  thing  to  find  an  uncultured  brain  that  can 
follow  you  closely  enough  to  be  convinced  of  his 
own  folly. 

Flossy  did  not  understand  herself  well  enough 
to  reason  this  out.  It  was  simply  a  fine  instinct 
that  she  had,  perhaps  it  ought  to  be  called 
"tact,"  that  led  her  to  be  careful  how  she  tried 
anything  of  this  sort.  Besides,  there  was  an 
other  reason.  She  did  not  know  how  to  set 
about  doing  it.  It  is  one  thing  to  see  a  sophis 
try,  and  another  to  take  to  pieces  the  filmy 
threads  of  which  it  is  composed.  She  waived 


Flossy  «Begin*.n  43 

the  whole  subject,  and  jumped  to  one  on  which 
there  could  be  but  one  opinion. 

"  Well,  then,  suppose  you  were  right,  and 
every  one  were  free  to  be  perfect  if  he  would ; 
that  only  reaches  to  the  end  of  this  life.  We 
surely  haven't  been  perfect,  you  and  I,  for  in 
stance,  so  our  perfection  cannot  save  us  from  the 
penalty  of  sin,  and  that  is  death.  What  a  grand 
thing  it  would  be  to  be  free  from  that  1  You 
believe  in  death,  don't  you  ?  and  I  suppose,  like 
every  other  sensible  person,  you  are  afraid  of 
death,  unless  you  have  found  something  that 
makes  you  free  from  its  power." 

Rich,  was  still  in  a  scornful  mood. 

"  Should  like  to  see  anybody  that  is  free  from 
that ! "  he  said,  sneeringly.  "  As  near  as  I  can 
make  out,  those  persons  who  think  they  are  good 
are  just  as  likely  to  die  as  the  rest  of  us." 

"•  Ah,  yes,  but  it  isn't  just  that  little  minute  of 
dying  that  you  and  I  are  afraid  of ;  it  is  after 
ward.  We  are  afraid  of  what  will  come  next. 
You  see,  I  know  all  about  it,  for  I  was  awfully 
afraid ;  I  had  such  a  fear  as  I  suppose  you  know 
nothing  about.  When  it  thundered  I  shivered 
as  if  I  had  a  chill,  and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if 


44  Tfte  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

every  flash  of  lightning  was  going  to  kill  ine  ; 
and  when  I  went  on  a  journey  I  could  enjoy 
nothing  for  the  fear  that  there  might  be  an  acci 
dent  and  I  might  be  killed.  But  I  declare  to 
you  that  I  have  found  something  that  has  taken 
the  fear  away.  I  do  not  mean  that  I  would  like 
to  be  killed,  or  that  I  am  tired  of  living,  or  any 
thing  of  the  sort.  1  like  to  live  a  great  deal 
better  than  I  ever  did  before  ;  I  think  the  world 
is  twice  as  nice,  and  everything  a  great  deal 
pleasanter ;  but  when  I  was  coming  home  from 
Chautauqua  I  would  waken  in  the  night  in  the 
sleeping-car,  and  I  found  to  my  surprise  that, 
although  I  thought  of  the  same  tiling,  the  possi 
bility  that  there  might  be  an  accident  that  would 
cost  me  my  life,  yet  I  felt  that  horrible  sense  of 
fear  and  dread  was  utterly  gone.  I  could  feel 
that  though  death  in  itself  might  be  sad  and 
solemn,  yet  it  was,  after  all,  but  the  step  that 
opened  the  door  to  joy.  In  short  "  —  and  here 
Flossy's  face  shone  with  a  rare  sweet  smile  — 
"  I  know  that  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  has  made 
me  free." 

Rich,  was  utterly  silent.     What  could  he  re 
ply  in  the  face  of  this  simple,  quiet  "  I  know?' 


Flossy  ^Begins.'"  45 

To  say, "  I  don't  believe  it,"  would  be  the  height 
of  folly,  and  he  realized  it. 

As  for  the  rest,  they  had  listened  to  this  talk 
with  various  degrees  of  interest ;  the  most  of 
them  amused  that  Rich,  should  be  drawn  into 
any  talk  so  serious,  and  be  evidently  so  earnest. 

Let  me  tell  you  a  little  about  these  young 
men.  They  were  not  from  the  very  lowest 
depths  of  society  ;  that  is,  the)'  had  homes  and 
family  ties,  and  they  had  enough  to  eat  and  to 
wear ;  in  fact  they  earned  these  latter,  each  for 
himself.  There  were  two  of  them  who,  had  the 
advantage  of  the  public  schools,  and  were  fair 
sort  of  scholars.  Rich.  Johnson  was  one  of 
these,  and  was  therefore  somewhat  looked  up  to 
and  respected  by  those,  even,  who  would  not 
have  gone  to  school  another  day  if  they  could. 

But  they  were  far  enough  out  of  the  reach 
of  Flossy  Shipley ;  so  far  that  she  had  never 
come  in  contact  with  one  of  them  before  in  her 
life.  She  had  no  idea  as  to  their  names,  or  their 
homes,  or  their  lives.  She  had  no  sort  of  idea 
of  the  temptations  by  which  they  were  sur 
rounded,  nor  what  they  needed.  Perhaps  this 
very  fact  removed  all  touch  of  patronage  from 


46  The  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

her  tone  ;  as,  when  the  bell  rang,  she  found,  to 
her  great  surprise,  that  the  lesson  hour  was  over 
she  turned  back  to  them  for  a  moment  and  said 
with  that  sparkling  little  smile  of  hers  : 

"  I'm  real  sorry  you  hadn't  a  teacher  to-day. 
I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  taught  the  les 
son  if  I  had  known  how ;  but  you  see  how  it  is ; 
I  have  all  these  things  to  learn." 

"Now,  Rich.  Johnson  rather  prided  himself 
on  his  rudeness  ;  a  strange  thing  to  pride  one's 
self  on,  to  be  sure.  But  pride  takes  all  sorts  of 
curious  forms,  and  he  had  actually  rather  gloried 
in  his  ability  to  say  rude  and  cutting  things  at  a 
moment's  notice ;  words,  you  know,  that  the 
boys  in  his  set  called  "cute."  But  he  was  at 
this  time  actually  surprised  into  being  almost 
gallant. 

"  We  never  had  a  better  teacher,"  he  said, 
quickly.  "  If  you  are  only  just  learning  you 
better  try  it  again  on  us;  we  like  the  style 
enough  sight  better  than  the  finished  up  kind." 

And  then  Flossy  smiled  again,  and  thanked 
them,  and  said  she  had  enjoyed  it.  And  then 
she  did  an  unprecedented  thing.  She  invited 
them  all  to  call  on  her,  in  a  pretty,  graceful  way, 


Flossy  "Begins"  47 

precisely  as  she  would  have  invited  a  gentleman 
friend  who  had  seen  her  home  from  a  concert, 
the  quiet,  courteous  invitation  to  her  father's 
house,  which  is  a  mere  matter  of  form  among  the 
young  ladies  of  her  set,  but  which  to  these  boys 
was  as  astonishing  as  an  invitation  to  the  Gar 
den  of  Eden. 

They  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  ac 
cepting  the  invitation,  but  they  felt,  without 
realizing  what  made  them  feel  so,  a  sudden 
added  touch  of  self-respect.  I  almost  think 
they  were  more  careful  of  their  words  during  the 
rest  of  that  day  than  they  would  have  been  but 
for  that  invitation. 

"  Isn't  Sunday-school  splendid  ?  "  Flossy  said 
to  Ruth  Erskine,  as,  with  her  cheeks  in  a  fine 
glow  of  glad  satisfaction  that  she  had  "  begun," 
she  joined  Ruth  in  the  hall. 

"  It  was  very  interesting,"  said  Ruth,  in  her 
more  quiet,  thoughtful  way.  She  was  thought 
ful  during  the  entire  walk  home. 

It  was  her  lot  to  slip  into  one  of  those  grand 
classes  where  Bible  teaching  means  something 
more  than  simply  reading  over  the  verses.  There 
had  been  good  seed  sown  with  a  lavish  hand, 


48  The  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Home. 

and  there  had  been  careful  probing  to  see  if  it 
had  taken  root.  Ruth  had  some  stronger  ideas 
about  the  importance  of  "  continuing."  She  had 
a  renewed  sense  of  the  blessedness  of  being 
made  "free."  She  went  home  -with  a  renewed 
desire  to  consecrate  herself,  and  not  only  to  en 
joy,  but  to  labor,  that  others  might  enter  into 
that  rest.  Blessed  are  those  teachers  whose 
earnest  Sabbath  work  produces  such  fruit  as 
this! 


CHAPTER  III. 

BUEDENS. 

NDER  the  influence  of  the  sermon,  and 
the  prayers,  and  the  glorious  music,  life 
grew  to  be  rose-color  to  Marion  before 
she  reached  home  that  Sabbath  evening.  She 
came  home  with  springing  step,  and  with  her 
heart  full  of  plans  and  possibilities  for  the  fu 
ture.  Not  even  the  dismalness  of  her  unattrac 
tive  room  and  desolate  surroundings  had  power 
to  drive  the  song  from  her  heart.  She  went 
about  humming  the  grand  tune  with  which  the 
evening  service  had  closed : 

"  In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory, 
Towering  o'er  the  wrecks  of  time." 

As  she  sang,  her  whole  soul  thrilled  with  the 

(49) 


50          The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

joy  of  glorying  in  such  a  theme,  and  her  last 
thought,  as  she  closed  her  eyes  for  the  night, 
was  about  a  plan  of  work  that  she  meant  to 
carry  out. 

What  could  have  happened  in  the  night  to  so 
change  the  face  of  the  world  for  her  I  It  looked 
so  utterly  different  in  the  morning.  School  was 
to  open,  and  she  shrank  from  it,  dreaded  it. 
flu-  work  looked  all  drudgery,  and  the  plans 
sin.1  had  formed  the  night  before  seemed  impos 
sibilities.  The  face  of  nature  had  changed  won 
derfully.  In  place  of  radiant  sunshine  there 
was  falling  a  steady,  dismal  rain  ;  the  clouds 
bent  low,  and  looked  like  lead  ;  the  wind  was 
moaning  in  a  dismal  way,  that  felt  like  a  wail; 
and  nothing  but  umbrellas,  and  water-proofs, 
and  rubber  over-coats,  and  dreariness,  were 
abroad. 

The  pretty,  summery  school  dress  that  Marion 
had  laid  out  to  wear  was  hung  sadly  back  in  her 
wardrobe,  and  the  inevitable  black  alpaca  came 
to  the  surface.  It  seemed  to  her  the  symbol  of 
her  old  life  of  dreariness,  which  she  imagined 
had  gone  from  her.  It  was  not  that  she  felt  ut 
terly  dismal  and  desolate j  it  was  not  that  she 


Burdens.  61 

had  forgotten  her  late  experiences ;  it  was  not 
that  she  did  not  know  that  she  had  the  Friend 
who  is  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for 
ever  ;  "  it  was  simply  that  she  could  not  feel  it, 
and  joy  in  it  as  she  had  done  only  yesterday  j 
and  her  religious  life  was  too  recent  not  to  be 
swayed  by  feeling  and  impulse. 

The  fact  that  there  was  a  clear  sun  shining 
above  the  clouds,  and  a  strong  and  firm  moun 
tain  up  in  the  sunshine,  on  which  it  was  her 
privilege  to  stand,  despite  what  was  going  on 
below,  she  did  not  understand.  She  did  not 
know  what  effect  the  weather  and  the  sense  of 
fatigue  were  having  on  her,  and  she  felt  not  only 
mortified,  but  alarmed,  that  her  joy  had  so  soon 
gone  out  in  cloud  and  gloom. 

If  she  could  only  just  run  around  the  corner 
to  see  Eurie  a  minute,  or  up  the  hill  to  Flossy 'a 
home,  how  much  it  would  help  her;  and  the 
thought  that  she  was  actually  looking  to  Flossy 
Shipley  and  Eurie  Mitchell  for  help  of  any  sort 
brought  the  first  smile  that  she  had  indulged  in 
that  morning ;  she  was  certainly  changed  when 
she  could  look  to  them  for  comfort  or  sympathy. 

Is  there  any  one  reading  this  account  of  an 


52  TJie  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

every  day  life  who  does  not  understand,  by  past 
experience,  just  how  trying  a  first  day  at  school 
is,  when  teachers  and  scholars  have  come  out 
from  the  influence  of  a  long  summer  vacation  ? 
Next  week,  or  even  to-morrow,  they  will  have 
battled  with,  and,  in  a  measure,  choked  the 
spirit  of  disgust,  or  homesickness,  or  weariness, 
with  which  they  come  back  from  play  to  work; 
but  to-day  nothing  seems  quite  so  hard  in  all  the 
world  as  to  turn  from  the  hundred  things  that 
have  interested  and  delighted  them,  and  settle 
down  to  grammar,  and  philosophy,  and  alge 
bra. 

Teachers  and  scholars  alike  are  apt  to  feel  the 
depression  of  such  circumstances ;  and  when 
you  add  to  the  other  discomforts,  that  of  a 
steady,  pouring  rain,  with  a  sound  of  fall  in 
every  whiff  of  wind,  you  will  understand  that 
Marion  was  to  have  comparatively  little  help 
from  outside  influences.  She  felt  the  gloom  in 
her  heart  deepen  as  the  day  went  on.  She  was 
astonished  and  mortified  at  herself  to  find  that 
the  old  feelings  of  irritability  and  sharpness  still 
held  her  in  grasp  ;  she  was  not  free  from  them, 
at  least. 


Burdens.  63 

Her  toDgue  was  as  strongly  tempted  to  be 
sarcastic,  and  her  tone  to  be  stern,  as  ever  they 
had  been.  None  of  the  scholars  helped  her. 
Those  of  them  who  were  neither  gloomy,  nor 
listless,  nor  inclined  to  be  cross,  were  simply 
silly ;  they  laughed  on  every  possible  occasion, 
with  or  without  an  excuse ;  they  devised  ways 
and  means  to  draw  off  the  attention  of  these 
who  made  faint  efforts  to  be  studious ;  and,  in 
short,  were  decidedly  the  most  provoking  of  all 
the  elements  of  the  day.  Marion  found  herself 
more  than  once  curling  her  lip  in  the  old  sar 
castic  way  at  the  inconsistencies  and  improprie 
ties  of  those  among  her  pupils  who  bore  the 
name  of  Christian. 

During  the  long  recess  she  tried  to  go  away 
by  herself,  in  the  hope  that  her  heart  might 
quiet  down,  and  rest  itself  on  some  of  the  new 
and  solid  ground  on  which  she  had  so  lately 
learned  to  tread.  But  they  followed  her :  sev 
eral  of  the  teachers,  in  a  gayety  of  mood,  that 
was  half  affected  to  hide  the  homesickness  of 
their  hearts,  and  therefore  infected  no  one  else 
with  a  cheerful  spirit.  They  were  armed  with 
a  package  of  examination  papers,  given  in  by 


54          The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

those  scholars  who  aspired  to  a  higher  grade. 
They  loudly  called  on  Marion  for  assistance. 

"  You  haven't  had  a  single  examination  class 
yet;  then  it  is  clearly  your  duty  to  help  the 
afflicted.  4  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,'  you 
know." 

It  was  Miss  Banks  who  said  this,  and  she  had 
barely  escaped  being  Marion's  intimate  friend; 
as  it  was,  she  came  nearer  being  familiar  with 
her  than  with  any  other.  She  wondered  now 
how  it  could  have  been  that  she  had  liked  her  I 
Her  voice  sounded  so  shrill  and  uuwinning,  and 
the  quotation  that  she  so  glibly  uttered  was  such 
a  jar.  However,  she  turned  back  with  a  wan 
attempt  at  a  smile,  and  said : 

"  1  shall  have  enough  examination  papers  of 
my  own  before  night.  How  do  yours  range  ?  " 
And  she  took  half  a  dozen  that  were  reached 
out  to  her. 

"  They  range  precisely  as  if  we  had  a  parcel 
of  idiots  in  our  care.  The  blunders  that  these 
aspiring  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  make  in 
orthography  are  enough  to  set  one's  teeth  on 
edge." 

"  Orthography  I "  said  Marion,  with  a  curling 


Bur  dent.  55 

lip.  "  They  are  years  too  old  for  any  such  com 
monplace  as  that ;  it  must  be  history,  at  least. 
Here  is  Allie  March  struggling  for  the  advanced 
history  class,  and  I  venture  to  say  she  doesn't 
know  who  was  President  four  years  ago." 

And  then  Marion  suddenly  remembered  that 
Allie  March  was  the  one  whom,  in  her  glorified 
moments  of  only  the  day  before  she  had  aspired 
to  help  forward  in  her  Christian  life.  If  she  had 
seen  that  sneer  and  heard  those  sharp  words 
would  it  have  helped  her,  or  inclined  her  ever 
to  look  that  way  for  help  ?  Then  Marion  and 
the  rest  gave  themselves  to  silence  and  to 
work. 

"  What  is  the  prospect  for  promotion  ?  "  Prof. 
Easton  said,  as  he  came  and  leaned  over  the  desk 
before  which  they  worked. 

Miss  Banks  looked  up  with  a  laugh. 

"It  reminds  one  of  one's  childhood  and  Scrip 
ture  learning  days:  'Many  are  culled,  but  few- 
are  chosen.'  There  will  be  exceedingly  few 
chosen  from  this  class." 

Why  did  those  Bible  quotations  so  jar  Marion? 
It  had  been  one  of  her  weak  points  to  quote 
them  aptly,  and  with  stinging  sarcasm.  Per- 


56  The  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Home. 

haps  that  was  one  reason  why  she  so  keenly  felt 
their  impropriety  now ;  she  had  been  so  long 
among  the  "  called,"  and  so  very  recently  among 
the  *'  chosen." 

The  possibility  of  having  spent  a  lifetime 
without  ever  becoming  one  of  those  "  chosen " 
ones,  seemed  so  fearful  to  her,  and  she  felt  that 
she  had  so  narrowly  escaped  that  end,  that  she 
shivered  and  drew  her  little  shawl  around  her  as 
she  glanced  up  quickly  at  Prof.  Eastori. 

He  was  a  Christian  man,  a  member  of  the  First 
Church  —  would  he  have  any  reply  to  make  to 
this  irreverent  application  of  solemn  truth  ?  No, 
he  had  only  a  laugh  for  reply ;  it  might  have 
been  at  Miss  Banks'  rueful  face  that  he  laughed ; 
but  Marion  would  have  liked  him  better  if  he 
had  looked  grave.  Miss  Banks  at  that  moment 
caught  a  glimpse  of  Marion's  grave  face. 

"  Miss  Wilbur,"  she  said,  quickly,  "  what  on 
earth  can  have  happened  to  you  during  vaca 
tion  ?  I  never  in  my  life  saw  you  look  so  sol 
emn.  Didn't  I  hear  something  about  your  going 
to  the  woods  to  camp-meeting  ?  How  was  that  ? 
I  verily  believe  you  spent  your  time  on  the  anx 
ious-seat,  and  have  caught  the  expression.  Did 


Burdens.  57 

you  find  any  one  to  say  to  you,  '  Come  unto  me  ? ' 
I'm  sure  37ou  '  labor '  hard  enough,  and  look 
*  heavy  laden,'  doesn't  she,  Prof.  Easton  ?  I 
really  think  we  shall  have  to  start  a  prayer- 
meeting  over  her." 

Marion  threw  down  the  paper  she  was  cor 
recting  with  a  nervous  start,  and  her  voice 
sounded  sharper  than  she  meant. 

"  How  is  it  possible,  Miss  Banks,  that  you.  can 
repeat  those  words  in  such  a  shockingly  irrever 
ent  way  ?  Surely  you  profess  to  have  at  least  a 
nominal  respect  for  the  One  who  first  uttered 
them ! " 

"  Really  I "  said  Miss  Banks,  with  an  embar 
rassed  laugh,  astonishment  and  confusion  strug 
gling  for  the  mastery  on  her  flushed  face.  "  '  Is 
Saul  also  among  the  prophets?'  There!  I  de 
clare,  I  am  quoting  again.  Is  that  wicked,  too  ? 
Prof.  Easton,  how  is  that?  Miss  Wilbur  has 
been  to  camp-meeting,  and  is  not  responsible  for 
her  words,  but  you  ought  to  be  good  authority. 
Is  it  wicked  for  me  to  quote  Scripture  ?  Haven't 
I  as  good  a  right  to  Bible  verses  as  any  of  you  ? 
Here  has  Miss  Wilbur  been  giving  us  lessons  in 
that  art  for  the  last  two  years,  and  she  suddenly 


58  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

deserts  arid  takes  to  preaching  at  us.  Is  that 
fair,  now  ?  If  it  were  not  wicked  I  might  say  to 
her,  '  Physician,  heal  thyself.'  ' 

Marion  bestowed  a  quick,  searching,  almost 
pleading  glance  on  Prof.  Easton,  and  then  looked 
down  with  a  flushed  and  disappointed  face.  He 
was  not  equal  to  a  bold  spreading  of  his  pro 
fessed  colors.  He  laughed,  not  easily,  or  as  if 
he  enjoyed  the  sharp  words  vailed  so  thinly  by 
pleasantry,  but  as  if  he  were  in  an  awkward  po 
sition,  and  did  not  see  his  way  out. 

"  You  were  just  a  little  hard  on  Miss  Wilbur 
in  your  selections,  you  must  remember,"  he  said 
at  last.  "  People  can  always  be  excused  for 
more  or  less  sombreness  on  the  first  day  of  the 
term." 

And  then  he  went  away  hurriedly,  as  if  he 
desired  to  avoid  anything  further  in  that  strain. 

Hard  on  Miss  Wilbur?  Did  he  suppose  she 
cared  for  such  vapid  nonsense  ?  What  surprised 
and  hurt  her  was  that  he  so  utterly  ignored  the 
question  at  issue.  Did  he,  a  professed  Christian 
of  many  years'  standing,  see  no  impropriety  in 
this  manner  of  quoting  the  very  words  of  the 
Lord  himself  I  or  hadn't  he  sufficient  moral 


Burdens.  69 

courage  to  rebuke  it?  Either  conclusion  was 
distasteful ;  especially  distasteful  to  her,  Marion 
found,  because  the  one  in  question  was  Prof. 
Easton.  Hitherto  she  had  held  him  a  little 
above  the  ordinary.  Was  he  then  so  very  com 
mon  after  all  ? 

This  little  occurrence  did  not  serve  to  sweeten 
her  day.  The  more  so,  that  after  she  had 
quieted  down  a  little,  at  noon,  she  tried  to  join 
the  other  teachers  as  usual,  and  felt  an  air  of 
stiffness,  or  embarrassment,  or  unnaturalness,  of 
some  sort,  in  their  manner  to  her.  Twice,  as 
she  came  toward  them,  Miss  Banks,  who  was 
talking  volubly,  hushed  into  sudden  and  utter 
silence. 

After  that,  Marion  went  into  the  upper  hall 
and  ate  her  lunch  by  herself.  Matters  grew 
\\orse,  rather  than  better,  as  the  afternoon  ses 
sion  dragged  its  slow  hours  along.  The  air  of 
the  school-room  seemed  close  and  unbearable, 
and  the  moment  a  window  was  raised  the  driv 
ing  ruin  rushed  in  and  tormented  the  victim  who 
sut  nearest  to  it. 

Poor  Marion,  who  was  as  susceptible  to  the 
temperature  of  rooms  as  a  thermometer,  tried 


60  TJie  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

each  window  in  succession  during  the  afternoon, 
and  came  to  the  desperate  conclusion  that  the 
rain  came  from  all  quarters  of  the  leaden  sky  at 
once. 

The  spirit  of  unrest  that  pervaded  the  room 
grew  into  positive  lawlessness  as  the  day  waned, 
and  Marion's  tone  had  taken  even  unusual 
sharpness ;  her  self-command  was  giving  way. 
Instead  of  helping,  she  had  been  positively  an 
injury  to  Allie  March ;  first  by  the  sharpness  of 
her  reprimands,  and  then  by  sarsastic  comments 
on  her  extreme  dullness, 

But  the  girl  who  had  tried  her  the  most  dur 
ing  the  entire  day  was  the  most  brilliant,  and,  as 
a  rule,  the  most  studious  scholar  in  her  room. 
Every  teacher  knows  that  the  good  scholar  who 
occasionally  makes  a  failure  is  the  one  who  ex 
asperates  the  most;  you  are  so  utterly  unpre 
pared  for  anything  but  perfection  on  that  one's 
part. 

Not  that  Gracie  Dennis  was  perfect ;  she  was 
by  far  too  noisy  and  decided  for  that ;  but  she 
was,  as  a  rule,  lady-like  in  her  manners  and 
words,  showing  her  careful  teaching  and  her  own 
sense  of  self-respect. 


Burdens.  61 

There  bud  been  little  sympathy,  however,  be 
tween  Marion  and  herself.  She  was  too  much 
like  Marion  in  a  haughty  independence  of  man 
ner  to  ever  become  that  lady's  favorite.  Why, 
as  to  that,  I  am  not  sure  that  she  had  a  favorite ; 
there  were  many  who  liked  her,  and  all  respected 
her,  but  no  one  thought  of  expressing  outright 
affection  for  Miss  Wilbur. 

As  for  Grace  Dennis,  she  had  come  nearer  to 
outwitting  her  teacher  than  had  any  other  young 
lady  in  the  room,  and  she  stood  less  in  awe  of 
her. 

On  this  particular  day  the  spirit  of  disquiet 
seemed  to  have  gotten  entire  possession  of  the 
girl ;  she  had  not  given  fifteen  minutes  to  down 
right  work,  but  had  dawdled  and  lounged  in  a 
most  exasperating  manner,  and  at  times  exhibited 
a  dullness  that  was  very  hard  to  bear  patiently, 
because  Marion  felt  so  certain  that  it  was  either 
feigned  or  the  result  of  willful  inattention. 
Several  times  had  Marion  to  speak  decidedly  to 
the  young  ladies  in  her  seat,  once  or  twice  di 
rectly  to  Grace  herself,  and  at  last,  losing  all  pa 
tience  with  her,  she  took  decided  measures. 

"  Miss  Dennis,  I  really  have  something  to  do 


62          The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Horn*. 

besides  watch  you  all  the  time.  If  you  please 
you  may  bring  your  book  to  the  desk  and  taka 
the  seat  beside  me ;  then  if  you  must  whisper,  I 
can  afford  you  a  special  audience  '' 

What  an  unheard  of  thing  I  Grace  Dennis 
actually  culled  to  the  platform,  to  the  post  of 
disgrace  I  The  leading  young  lady  in  the  school ! 
and  Rev.  Dr.  Dennis'  only  daughter  I  Some  of 
the  scholars  looked  aghast;  some  of  the  class 
who  had  long  envied  her  were  rude  and  cruel 
enough  to  indulge  in  an  audible  giggle. 

As  for  Grace  herself,  hardly  any  one  could 
have  been  more  amazed.  It  was  many  a  day 
since,  with  all  her  love  of  fun,  and  her  danger 
ous  position  as  a  leader,  she  had  been  obliged  to 
receive  a  public  reprimand ;  she  had  never  iu 
her  life  been  called  to  that  public  seat,  which 
was  but  one  remove  from  being  sent  to  Prof. 
Easton's  private  office  I 

Her  great  handsome  eyes  dilated  and  flashed, 
and  her  cheeks  glowed  like  fire.  She  half  arose, 
then  sat  down  again,  and  the  school  waited 
breathlessly,  being  about  equally  divided  as  to 
whether  she  would  obey  or  rebel.  Marion  her 
self  wad  somewhat  iu  doubt,  and  iu  her  excite- 


JBurdent.  63 

ment  over  the  unwonted  scene,  concluded  to 
make  obedience  a  necessity. 

"  On  the  second  thought,  you  may  have  youi 
choice,  Miss  Dennis ;  you  may  come  to  the  desk 
or  repair  at  once  to  Prof.  Eastou's  room,  and 
state  the  cause  of  your  appearance." 

Again  the  hateful  giggle  I  There  were  those 
who  knew  why  being  sent  to  Prof.  Euston  was 
the  worst  thing  that  Gracie  Dennis  thought 
could  happen  to  her.  She  arose  again,  and  now 
she  had  the  advantage  of  her  teacher,  for  there 
were  dignity  and  composure  in  her  voice  as  she 
said  : 

"  I  believe  I  have  never  disobeyed  your  or 
ders,  Miss  Wilbur ;  I  certainly  do  not  propose 
to  do  so  now." 

Then  she  came  with  composed  step  and  took 
her  seat  beside  Marion  :  but  her  eyes  still  glit 
tered,  and,  as  the  business  of  the  hour  went  on 
more  quietly  than  any  hour  that  hud  preceded 
it,  Marion,  as  she  caught  glimpses  now  and  then 
of  the  face  bent  over  her  Latin  Grammar,  saw 
that  it  was  flushed  almost  to  a  purple  hue,  and 
that  the  intense  look  in  those  handsome  eyes  did 
not  quiet.  She  had  roused  a  dangerous  spirit. 


64  The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

To  add  to  the  embarrassment  and  the  keen- 
nei»3  of  her  rebuke,  the  door  leading  from  the 
recitation  room,  behind  the  platform,  suddenly 
opened,  and  Prof.  Easton  himself  came  around 
to  speak  to  Marion.  He  paused  in  astonish 
ment  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  culprit  beside 
her,  and  for  an  instant  was  visibly  embarrassed ; 
then  he  rallied,  and,  bowing  slightly  and  very 
gravely,  passed  her  by,  and  addressed  Marion  in 
a  low  voice. 

As  for  Gracie,  she  did  not  once  lift  her  eyes 
after  the  first  swift  glance  had  assured  her  who 
the  caller  was. 

"  I  have  made  an  enemy,"  thought  Marion  to 
herself,  as,  her  own  excitement  beginning  to 
subside,  she  had  time  to  reflect  on  whether  she 
had  done  wisely.  "  She  will  never  forgive  me 
this  public  insult,  as  she  will  choose  to  call  it. 
I  see  it  in  her  handsome,  dangerous  eyes.  And, 
yet,  I  can  hardly  see  how  I  could  have  done 
otherwise?  If  almost  any  of  the  others  had 
given  me  half  the  provocation  that  she  has  to 
day,  I  should  have  sent  them  to  Prof.  Easton, 
without  question.  Why  should  I  hesitate  in  her 
favor?  Oh,  me,  what  a  miserable  day  it  has 


Burdens.  65 

beeii  I  and  I  meant  it  to  be  such  a  good  one  ! 
I  wonder  if  iny  Christian  life  must  be  marked  by 
such  weary  and  ignominious  failures  as  this? 
Gracie  Dennis  is  one  of  the  Christian  (f)  young 
ladies.  A  lovely  Christian  she  has  shown,  and, 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  will  continue  to  show  to 
me  I  I  wonder  if  it  amounts  to  nothing  but  a 
name,  after  all,  with  the  most  of  them  ?  " 

"And  here  Marion  stopped  this  train  of 
thought,  because  she  suddenly  remembered  that 
she  was  now  numbered  among  those  on  whom 
others  were  looking  and  wondering  if  their  relig 
ion  meant  anything  but  name.  Suppose  that 
some  had  been  looking  at  her  in  that  light  this 
day  ?  How  would  they  have  decided  ? 

She  found  that  she  was  not  willing  to  be 
judged  by  the  same  rule  that  she  was  almost 
unconsciously  applying  to  Gracie  Dennis.  Then 
she  went  back  over  the  day,  and  tried  to  dis 
cover  wherein  she  had  failed,  and  how  she  might 
have  done  what  would  have  been  better.  Could 
she  not,  after  all,  have  gotten  along  without  so 
severe  and  public  a  rebuke  to  this  young  girl  at 
her  side  ? 

She  knew  her  temperament  well.     Indeed  it 


66          The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

was  —  she  confessed  it  to  herself  —  a  good  deal 
like  her  own.  What  would  be  a  trifle  to  half 
the  girls  in  the  school,  what  would  be  forgotten 
by  the  best  of  them  in  a  day  or  two,  would  burn 
in  this  girl's  memory,  and  affect  her  after  life 
and  manner,  almost  in  spite  of  herself  —  the 
more  so,  because  of  that  unfortunate  call  from 
Prof.  Easton. 

Marion  knew  by  the  swift  glance  which  he 
gave  at  this  strange  situation  that  it  meant 
something  to  him.  Then  it  was  doubly  hard  for 
Gracie.  She  began  to  feel  sorry  for  her ;  to 
wish  that  she  might  in  some  way  smooth  over 
the  chasm  that  she  had  builded  between  them. 

"  She  is  very  young,"  she  said  to  herself,  with 
a  little  sigh.  "  I  ought  not  to  have  expected 
such  wonderful  things  of  her.  I  wish  I  had 
managed  differently  ;  it  is  too  late  now ;  I  won 
der  ho\v  I  shall  get  out  of  it  all?  Shall  I  just 
let  her  go  home  without  saying  anything  ?  " 

All  these  troubled  thoughts  wandered  through 
Marion's  bruin  during  the  intervals  of  quiet, 
when  nothing  was  heard  save  the  scratch  of 
pens,  for  the  entire  room  was  engaged  in  a  dic 
tation  exercise,  which  was  to  determine  their 


Burdens.  67 

standing  in  the  writing  class.  At  last  there  Avas 
quiet. 

The  demon  of  inattention  had  seemingly  been 
exorcised  or  subdued,  for  all  were  industriously 
at  work,  and  Marion  had  a  chance  to  rest  from 
the  alert  watchfulness  which  had  characterized 
the  day. 

All  at  work  but  Gracie.  She  still  bent  over 
her  Latin  grammar.  She  had  not  asked  permis 
sion  to  join  the  dictation  class,  and  Marion  had 
not  volunteered  it.  Truth  to  tell,  she  hardly 
dared  venture  to  address  her  at  all.  The  eyes 
had  lost  none  of  their  keen  flash,  and  the  color 
seemed  to  be  deepening,  instead  of  subsiding  on 
her  pretty  soft  cheeks. 

Marion,  as  her  eyes  roved  over  the  exercise 
book  in  her  hand,  felt  her  heart  arrested  by 
these  words  among  the  selections  for  dictation : 

"  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfill 
the  law  of  Christ." 

They  smote  her  like  a  blow  from  an  unseen 
hand.  What  burdens  of  homesickness  and 
ennui  and  weariness  might  not  all  these  girls 
have  had  to  bear  to-day  !  Had  she  helped  them'.' 
Had  her  manner  been  winning  and  hopeful  and 


68  The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

invigorating  ?  Had  her  words  been  gentle  and 
well  chosen,  as  well  as  firm  and  decisive  ?  Her 
answers  to  these  questions  stung  her. 

Moved  by  a  sudden  impulse,  and  not  giving 
herself  time  to  shrink  from  the  determination, 
she  bent  forward  a  little  and  addressed  Gracie: 

"  Read  that,  Gracie.  I  have  not  obeyed  its 
direction  to-da}' ;  have  you  ?  Do  you  think  you 
have  helped  me  to  bear  my  burdens?  " 

Would  Gracie  answer  her  at  all  ?  Would  her 
answer  be  cold  and  haughty ;  as  nearly  rude  as 
she  had  dared  to  make  it?  Marion  felt  her 
heart  throb  while  she  waited.  And  she  had  to 
wait,  for  Gracie  was  utterly  silent. 

At  last  her  teacher  stole  a  glance  at  her.  The 
grtat  beautiful  eyes  were  lifted  to  her  face. 
The  flash  was  passing  out  of  them.  In  its  place 
there  was  a  puzzled,  wondering,  questioning 
look.  And,  when  at  last  she  spoke,  her  voice 
was  timid,  as  if  she  were  half  frightened  at  her 
own  words,  and  yet  eager  as  one  who  must 
know: 

"  Miss  Wilbur,  you  don't  mean  —  oh,  do  you 
mean  that  you  want  to  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ  j 
that  you  own  him  ?  " 


Burdens.  69 

"  That  I  own  him  and  love  him,"  Marion  said, 
her  cheeks  glowing  now  as  Gracie's  did,  "  and 
that  I  want  above  all  things,  to  fulfill  his  law, 
and  yet  that  I  have  miserably  failed,  even  this 
first  day." 

Among  Marion's  sad  thoughts  that  day  had 
been: 

"  There  is  no  one  to  know,  or  to  care,  whether 
I  am  different  or  not.  If  I  could  only  tell  some 
one  —  some  Christian  who  would  be  glad  —  but 
who  is  there  to  tell  ?  Prof.  Easton  is  a  Chris 
tian,  but  he  doesn't  care  enough  about  the  Lord 
Jesus  to  rebuke  those  who  profane  his  name ; 
he  has  let  me  do  it  in  his  presence,  and  smiled  at 
my  wit.  And  these  girls "  (and  here  Marion's 
lip  had  curled),  "they  don't  know  wliat  they 
mean  by  their  professions." 

She  was  unprepared  for  what  followed.  Gra- 
cie  Dennis,  graceful,  queenly  in  her  dignity,  and 
haughty,  even  in  her  mirth,  said,  suddenly,  in  a 
voice  which  quivered  with  gladness  : 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  ;  so  glad  I  Oh,  Miss  Wil 
bur,  I  don't  know  how  to  be  thankful  enough  !  " 
And  then  she  raised  her  head  suddenly,  and  her 
glowing  lips  just  touched  Marion's  cheek. 


70          The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

It  was  so  unusual  for  Marion  to  be  kissed. 
Her  friends  at  Chautauqua  had  been  those  who 
rarely  indulged  in  that  sort  of  caress  —  never,  at 
least,  with  her.  And,  while,  as  I  told  you,  many 
of  them  liked,  and  all  of  them  respected  her,  it 
was  yet  an  unheard  of  thing  for  the  scholars  to 
caress  Miss  Wilbur.  And  then,  too,  Gracie  Den 
nis  was  by  no  means  lavish  of  her  kisses.  This 
made  the  token  seem  so  much  more.  It  fel*~  al 
most  like  a  benediction. 

Gracie's  next  words  were  humbling  to  her : 

"  Miss  Wilbur,  will  you  forgive  me  ?  I  didn't 
mean  to  annoy  you.  I  don't  know  what  has 
been  the  matter  with  me." 

But,  long  before  this,  the  last  laggard  had  fin 
ished  her  line,  and  was  staring  in  undisguised 
astonishment  at  the  scene  enacted  on  the  plat 
form. 

Marion  rallied  her  excited  thoughts.  "  Dear 
child,"  she  said,  "we  have  each  something  to 
forgive.  I  think  I  have  been  too  severe  with 
you.  We  will  try  to  help  each  other  to-mor 
row." 

Then  she  gave  the  next  sentence  as  calmly  as 
usual.  But  she  went  home  that  night,  through 


Burdens.  71 

the  rain,  with  a  quick  step  and  with  joy  in  her 
heart.  It  was  not  all  profession.  It  meant 
something  to  those  girls ;  to  Grace  Dennis  it 
meant  everything.  It  was  enough  to  make  her 
forget  her  passion,  and  her  wounded  pride,  and 
to  make  her  face  actually  radiant  with  joy. 

It  should  mean  more  to  her.  She  had  failed 
that  day.  She  had  not  been,  in  any  sense,  what 
she  meant  to  be ;  what  she  ought  to  have  been. 
But  there  was  a  blessed  verse :  "  Who  forgiveth 
all  thine  iniquities." 

What  a  salvation  I  Able  to  forgive  transgres 
sion,  to  cover  sin,  to  remember  it  no  more.  It 
all  seemed  very  natural  to  her  to-night ;  very 
like  an  infinite  Saviour ;  one  infinitely  loving. 

She  began  to  realize  that  even  poor  human 
love  could  cover  a  multitude  of  sins.  How  easy 
it  seemed  to  her  that  it  would  be  to  overlook  the 
mistakes  and  shortcomings  of  Gracie  Dennis, 
after  this  I 


CHAPTER  IV. 
COL.  BAKER'S  SABBATH  EVENING. 

MONG  Marion  Wilbur's  gloomy  thoughts 
during  that  trying  Monday  were  these : 
"  Some  lives  are  a  good  deal  harder  to 
bear  than  others.  It  -would  be  nonsense  for 
some  people  to  talk  about  crosses.  There  are 
Ruth  and  Flossy;  what  do  they  know  about 
annoyances  or  self-denials?  Such  homes  as 
theirs  and  such  occupations  as  theirs  have  very 
little  in  common  with  hard,  uncongenial  work 
such  as  mine.  Eurie  Mitchell  has  less  easy 
times ;  but  then  it  is  home,  and  father,  and 
mother,  and  family  friends.  She  isn't  all  alone. 
None  of  them  can  sympathize  with  me.  I  don't 
(72) 


Col.  Baker's  Sabbath  Evening.  73 

see  how  Flossy  Shipley  is  ever  to  grow,  if 
*  crosses  are  a  fruitful  condition  of  the  Christian 
life.'  I'm  sure  she  can  do  as  she  pleases,  and 
when  she  pleases." 

Thus  much  Marion  knew  about  other  lives 
than  hers.  The  actual  truth  was  that  Flossy's 
shadows  began  on  Sabbath  evening,  while  Mar 
ion  was  yet  on  the  heights. 

It  was  just  as  they  stepped  from  the  aisle  of 
the  church  into  the  wide  hall  that  Col.  Baker 
joined  her.  This  was  not  a  new  experience. 
He  was  very  apt  to  join  her.  No  other  gentle 
man  had  been  a  more  frequent  or  more  enjoya 
ble  guest  at  her  father's  house.  Indeed,  he  was 
so  familiar  that  he  was  as  likely  to  come  on  the 
Sabbath  as  on  any  other  day,  and  was  often  in 
the  habit  of  calling  to  accompany  Flossy  to  any 
evening  service  where  there  was  to  be  a  little 
grander  style  of  music  than  usual,  or  a  special 
floral  display. 

In  fact  he  had  called  this  very  evening  on 
such  an  errand,  but  it  was  after  Flossy  had  gone 
to  her  own  church.  So  her  first  meeting  with 
him  since  Chautauqua  experiences  was  in  that 
hall  belonging  to  the  First  Church. 

"  Good-evening,"  he  said,  joining  her  without 


74          The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

the  formality  of  a  question  as  to  whether  it 
would  be  agreeable  j  his  friendship  was  on  too 
assured  a  footing  for  the  need  of  that  formality. 
"  You  are  more  than  usually  devoted  to  the 
First  Church,  are  you  not  ?  I  saw  you  in  the 
family  pew  this  morning.  I  felt  certain  of  being 
in  time  to  take  you  to  the  South  Side  to-night. 
St.  Stephen's  Church  has  a  grand  choral  service 
this  evening.  I  was  in  at  one  of  the  rehearsals, 
and  it  promised  to  be  an  unusually  fine  thing. 
I  am  disappointed  that  you  did  not  hear  it." 

Here  began  Flossy's  unhappiness.  Neither 
Marion  nor  Ruth  could  have  appreciated  it.  To 
either  of  those  it  would  have  been  an  actual  sat 
isfaction  to  have  said  to  Col.  Baker,  in  a  calui 
and  superior  tone  of  voice : 

"  Thanks  for  your  kindness,  but  I  have  de 
cided  to  attend  my  own  church  service  regularly 
after  this,  and  would  therefore  not  have  been 
able  to  accompany  you  if  I  had  been  at  home.'' 

But  for  Flossy  such  an  explanation  was  sim 
ply  dreadful.  It  was  so  natural,  and  would 
have  been  so  easy,  to  have  murmured  a  word  of 
regret  at  her  absence,  and  expressed  disappoint 
ment  in  having  missed  the  choral. 


Col.  Baker's  Sabbath  Evening.  75 

But  for  that  address  to  the  children,  given 
under  the  trees  at  Chautauqua,  by  Dr.  Hurlbut, 
she  would  have  said  these  smooth,  sweet-sound 
ing  words  as  sweetly  as  usual,  without  a  thought 
of  conscience.  But  had  not  he  shown  her,  as 
plainly  as  though  he  had  looked  down  into  her 
heart  and  seen  it  there,  that  these  pleasant, 
courteous  phrases  which  are  so  winning  and  so 
false  were  among  her  besetting  sins?  Had  he 
not  put  her  forever  on  her  guard  concerning 
them  ?  Had  she  not  promised  to  wage  solemn 
war  against  the  tendency  to  so  sin  with  her 
graceful  tongue  ?  Yet  how  she  dreaded  the 
plain  speaking ! 

How  would  Marion's  lips  have  curled  over 
the  idea  of  such  a  small  matter  as  that  being  a 
cross  I  And  yet  Flossy  could  have  been  sweet 
and  patient  and  tender  to  the  listless,  home-sick 
school-girls,  and  kissed  away  half  their  gloom, 
and  thought  it  no  cross  at  all.  Verily  there  is  a 
difference  in  these  crosses,  and  verily,  "  every 
heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness." 

Col.  Baker  was  loth  to  leave  the  subject : 
"  Aren't  you  being  unusually  devout  to-day  ?  * 
he  asked.     "  I  heard  of  you  at  Sabbath-school 


76  The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

I  was  certain  after  that  effort,  I  should  find  you 
at  home,  resting.  What  spell  came  over  you  to 
give  the  First  Church  so  much  of  your  time  ?  " 

"  One  would  think,  to  hear  you,  that  I  never 
went  to  church  on  Sabbath  evening,"  Flossy 
said.  And  then  to  a  certain  degree  conscience 
triumphed.  "  I  have  not  been  very  often,  it  ia 
true ;  but  I  intend  to  reform  in  that  respect  in 
the  future.  I  mean  to  go  whenever  I  can,  and  1 
mean  to  go  always  to  the  First  Church." 

Col.  Baker  looked  at  her  curiously  in  the 
moonlight. 

"Is  that  an  outgrowth  of  your  experience  in 
the  woods  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  Flossy  said  simply  and  bravely. 

He  longed  to  question  further,  to  quiz  her  a 
little,  but  something  in  the  tone  of  the  monosyl 
lable  prevented.  So  he  said : 

"  I  am  at  least  surprised  at  part  of  the  decis 
ion.  I  thought  part  of  the  work  of  those  gath 
erings  was  to  teach  fellowship  and  unity.  Why 
should  you  desert  other  churches  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  desertion  about  it.  I  do  not  be 
long  to  other  churches,  and  nobody  has  reason  to 
expect  me  at  any  of  them  ;  but  my  pastor  has  a 
right  to  expect  me  to  be  in  my  pew." 


Col.  Baker's  Sabbath  Evening.  77 

"  Oh ;  then  it  is  the  accident  of  the  first  choice 
that  must  determine  one's  sitting  in  church  foi 
all  future  time  ?  " 

"  With  me  it  has  been  only  an  accident,"  she 
said,  simply.  "  I  suppose  there  are  people  who 
had  better  reasons  for  selecting  their  church 
home.  But  I  am  very  well  satisfied  with  my 
place."  And  then  Flossy  was  very  glad  that 
they  were  nearing  her  father's  house.  The  glad 
ness  did  not  last,  however.  There  hung  over  it 
another  cross.  This  Col.  Baker  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  being  invited  to  enter,  and  of  spending 
an  hour  or  more  in  cosy  chat  with  the  family. 
Nothing  confidential  or  special  in  these  Sabbath 
evening  calls  ;  they  seemed  simply  to  serve  to 
pass  away  a  dull  hour.  They  had  been  pleasant 
to  Flossy.  But  it  so  happened  that  the  hours  of 
the  Sabbath  had  grown  precious  to  her  ;  none  of 
them  were  dull;  every  moment  of  them  was 
needed. 

Besides,  in  their  walk  up  the  hill  from  the 
auditorium  one  evening,  Evan  Roberts  had  said 
in  answer  to  a  wonderment  from  her  that  so  lit 
tle  was  accomplished  by  the  Sabbath  services 
throughout  the  land : 

"  I  think  one  reason  is  the  habit  that  so  many 


78          The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

people  have  of  frittering  away  any  serious  im 
pression  or  solemn  thought  they  may  have  had 
by  a  stream  of  small  talk  in  which  they  indulge 
with  their  own  family  or  their  intimate  friends, 
after  what  they  call  the  Sabbath  is  past.  Do  you 
know  there  are  hundreds  of  people,  good,  well- 
meaning  —  in  fact,  Christians  —  who  seem  to 
think  that  the  old  Puritan  rules  in  regard  to 
hours  hold  yet,  in  part.  It  begins  at  eight  or 
nine  o'clock,  when  they  have  their  nap  out; 
and  at  the  very  latest  it  closes  with  the  minis 
ter's  benediction  after  the  second  service ;  and 
they  laugh  and  talk  on  the  way  home  and  at 
home  as  if  the  restraints  of  the  day  were  over 
at  last." 

How  precisely  he  had  described  the  Sabbath 
day  of  the  Shipley  family.  With  what  a  sense 
of  relief  had  she  often  sat  and  chatted  with  Col. 
Baker  at  the  close  of  what  had  been  to  her  an 
irksome  day,  and  felt  that  at  last  the  sense  of 
propriety  would  not  be  shocked  if  they  laughed 
and  bantered  each  other  as  usual. 

Things  were  different  now.  But  poor  Flossy's 
face  flushed,  and  her  heart  beat  hard  over  the 
trial  of  not  asking  Col.  Baker  to  come  in.  Silly 
child!  Ruth  would  have  said,  and  her  calm, 


(Jol.  Baker's  Sabbath  Evening.  79 

clear  voice  would  not  have  hesitated  ovei  the 
words ;  "  Col.  Baker,  I  can  not  ask  you  in  this 
evening,  because  I  have  determined  to  receive 
no  more  calls,  even  from  intimate  friends,  on  the 
Sabbath.  On  any  other  evening  I  shall  be  happy 
to  see  you." 

As  for  Marion,  she  would  have  decidedly  en 
joyed  saying  it.  But  Flossy,  she  could  never 
have  explained  it  to  him.  Her  voice  would  have 
trembled  too  much,  and  her  heart  beat  too  hard. 
The  very  most  that  she  could  do  was  to  keep  her 
lips  closed.  No  invitation  from  her  should  pass 
them,  and  this  in  itself  was  five  times  more  of  a 
cross  than  it  would  have  been  for  either  of  the 
others  to  have  spoken. 

However,  it  did  no  good.  Col.  Baker's  friend 
ship  was  on  too  assured  a  footing  to  wait  fo* 
ceremony.  He  had  received  too  many  invita 
tions  of  that  nature  to  even  notice  the  omission 
now.  Though  Flossy  paused  and  turned  toward 
him  he  did  not  notice  it,  but  himself  opened  the 
door  for  her  and  passed  in  at  her  side,  talking 
still  about  some  matter  connected  with  his  plans 
for  the  evening,  that  had  been  overthrown  by 
her  strange  propensity  for  church. 

She  did  not  hear  him  at  all ;   she  waa  both 


80  The  Chautauqua  CrirU  at  Home. 

grieved  and  annoyed.  If  only  she  dared  go  di 
rectly  to  her  room  I  If  she  had  been  Ruth  Ers- 
kine  it  would  have  been  done  in  a  moment. 

They  sat  down  in  the  back  parlor,  and  it  was 
made  evident  to  Flossy  that  the  entertainment  of 
Col.  Baker  would  be  considered  her  special  duty. 
The  library  door  was  closed,  and  the  sound  of 
subdued  voices  there  told  that  Kitty  Shipley  and 
her  suitor  were  having  a  confidential  talk.  Kitty 
wouldn't  help,  then.  Mrs.  Shipley  had  retired, 
and  Mr.  Shipley  sat  at  the  drop  light  reading  the 
journal.  He  glanced  up  at  their  entrance,  gave 
Col.  Baker  the  courteous  and  yet  familiar  greet 
ing  that  welcomed  him  as  a  special  friend  of  the 
house,  and  then  went  on  with  his  reading.  As 
for  her  brother  Charlie,  he  had  not  come  in,  and 
probably  would  not  for  hours  to  come. 

What  was  there  for  Flossy  to  do  but  to  take 
a  seat  and  talk  to  Col.  Baker?  Yet  ho\v  she 
shrank  from  it!  She  wanted  to  be  alone,  to  go 
over  in  her  heart  all  the  sweet  and  blessed  ex 
periences  of  the  day,  for  this  day  had  helped  her 
much.  She  wanted  to  think  about  those  boys 
in  the  school,  and  form  plans  for  their  future, 
and  try  to  decide  whether  it  could  be  that  they 


Col.  Baker's  Sabbath  Evening.  8.1 

would  really  like  her  for  a  teacher,  and  whether 
Dr.  Dennis  \vould  let  her  undertake  the  class. 
Why  would  not  Col.  Baker  go  home  ? 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  "  he  asked, 
studying  her  face  curiously,  and  with  a  doubtful 
sound  in  his  voice.  "  I  don't  believe  that  strange 
freak  of  yours  did  you  any  good." 

"It  did  me  more  good  than  anything  that 
ever  happened  to  me  in  my  life,"  Flossy  said, 
positively. 

If  she  could  only  have  explained  to  him  just 
what  the  nature  of  that  good  was  I  Possibly 
she  might  have  tried,  only  there  sat  her  father. 
Who  could  tell  when  his  interest  in  the  Times 
would  cease,  and  he  give  attention  to  her  ? 
Flossy  could  not  understand  why  she  should  be 
BO  afraid  of  her  father  in  this  matter ;  but  she 
was  very  much  afraid. 

The  talk  they  had  was  of  that  kind  known  as 
"small."  To  Flossy  it  seemed  exceedingly 
small,  and  she  did  not  know  how  to  make  it 
otherwise.  She  began  to  wonder  if  she  and 
Col.  Baker  really  had  any  ideas  in  common  ;  yet 
Col.  Baker  could  talk  with  gentlemen,  and  talk 
well.  It  was  simply  the  habit  of  being  frippery 


82          The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

with  the  ladies  that  made  his  words  seem  so 
foolish  to  Flossy. 

Contrary  to  her  expectation,  her  brother  Char 
lie  suddenly  appeared  on  the  scene ;  and  for  a 
time  she  was  privileged  to  slip  into  the  back 
ground.  Charlie  had  been  to  hear  the  choral, 
and  Col.  Baker  was  very  anxious  to  know  as  to 
its  success.  You  would  have  supposed  them  to 
be  talking  about  a  prima  donna  concert.  At  last 
Charlie  turned  to  Flossy  with  the  trying  ques 
tion: 

"Sis.  why  didn't  you  go  to  the  choral?  I 
thought  you  were  coming  for  her,  Baker.  Didn't 
you  tell  me  so  ?  " 

44  I  came,  but  was  too  late.  Miss  Flossy  had 
already  betaken  herself  to  the  First  Church." 

44  So  you  missed  the  choral  ?" 

44  Well,  only  part  of  it.  I  went  for  an  hour ; 
then  I  left,  and  went  in  search  of  your  sister,  to 
discover  if  I  could  what  special  attractions  First 
Church  had  for  her  to-night." 

Now  this  fashion  of  going  to  one  service  until 
he  was  tired,  and  then  quietly  slipping  out  in 
search  of  something  more  attractive,  was  pecu 
liar  to  Col.  Baker.  Flossy  had  known  of  his 


Col.  Baker's  Sabbath  Evening.  8J 

doing  it  on  several  different  occasions.  The 
very  most  that  she  had  thought  about  it  had 
been,  that  it  was  making  one's  self  very  conspic 
uous.  She  didn't  believe  she  would  like  to  do 
it,  even  if  she  were  a  man.  But  to-night  the 
action  had  taken  an  irreverent  shade  that  it 
never  had  before.  She  discovered  that  she  ut 
terly  disapproved  of  it.  There  seemed  to  be 
many  things  in  Col.  Baker  that  met  with  her 
disapproval.  Meantime  the  talk  went  on. 

"  Did  you  find  the  attraction  ?  "  Charlie 
asked. 

Col.  Baker  shrugged  his  handsome  shoulders. 

"  I  confess  I  couldn't  find  it  in  the  sermon. 
It  was  one  of  the  Doctor's  sharpest  and  bluest 
efforts.  That  poor  man  has  the  dyspepsia,  I  feel 
certain.  Seems  to  me  he  develops  an  increased 
ability  for  making  people  miserable." 

Now,  Col.  Baker  fully  expected  to  draw  forth 
by  this  remark  one  of  Flossy's  silvery  laughs, 
which,  to  tell  the  truth,  were  becoming  sweeter 
to  his  ears  than  any  choral. 

He  was  surprised  and  annoyed  at  the  steady 
look  of  thoughtful,  not  to  say  distressed  gravity 
that  she  gave  him  out  of  those  soft  blue  eyes  of 


84  The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

hers.  He  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  thia 
Flossy  ;  he  was  feeling  the  change  in  her  more 
decidedly  than  any  one  else  had  done.  He 
waited  for  Flossy's  answer,  and  she  gave  it  at 
last,  in  a  grave,  rebuking  tone  of  voice : 

"  I  liked  the  sermon  very  much." 

"  Did  you,  indeed  ?  I  confess  I  am  astonished. 
I  gave  you  the  credit  of  possessing  a  more  tender 
heart.  Frankly,  then,  I  didn't.  I  must  say  I 
don't  like  to  go  to  church  to  be  made  uncom 
fortable." 

"  Did  you  find  that  sentence  in  the  paper  ?  " 
Flossy  asked,  a  little  gleam  of  mischief  in  her 
eyes.  "  Because,  if  }rou  did,  I  should  have 
thought  you  would  have  considered  it  answered 
very  well  by  the  comments." 

"  As  a  rule,  I  am  not  obliged  to  resort  to  the 
papers  to  find  remarks  to  quote,"  Col.  Baker 
said,  with  an  attempt  at  gayety,  which  but  half 
concealed  the  evident  annoyance  that  he  felt. 
"  But  I  judge  the  paper  found  some  one  suffer 
ing  in  the  same  way.  Pray,  what  was  the 
answer  ?  " 

"Why,  the  writer  said  that  he  supposed  no 
one  liked  to  be  uncomfortable ;  but  whether  it 


Col.   Baker's  Sabbath  Evening.  85 

was  the  sermon  that  should  change,  or  the  life, 
in  order  to  remove  the  discomfort,  was  a  ques 
tion  for  each  to  decide  for  himself." 

"Sharp!"  said  Charlie,  laughing ;  "you've 
got  hit,  Baker." 

"Oh,  no,"  \i6  Laid,  "not  at  all;  Don't  you 
see,  the  author  kindly  accorded  permission  for 
each  person  to  decide  the  question  for  himself? 
Now  I  have  it  decided  so  far  as  I  am  concerned. 
I  prefer  a  change  in  the  sermon.  Oh,  Dr.  Den 
nis  is  a  good  man  ;  no  one  doubts  it ;  but  he  is 
too  severe  a  sermonizer.  His  own  church  officers 
admit  that.  He  is  really  driving  the  young 
people  away  from  the  church.  I  should  not  be 
greatly  surprised  if  there  had  to  be  a  change  in 
that  locality  very  soon.  The  spirit  of  the  times 
demands  more  liberality,  and  a  larger  measure  of 
Christian  charity." 

Col.  Baker  was  really  too  well  educated  a 
man  to  have  allowed  himself  to  use  these  terms 
parrot-like,  without  knowledge  or  thought  as  to 
their  meaning ;  but  the  truth  was,  he  cared  so 
little  about  church  and  Christian  charity,  and  all 
those  phrases,  as  to  have  very  little  idea  of  what 
he  meant  himself  when  he  used  them. 


86  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Some. 

But  pretty  little  Flossy  had  never  argued  with 
him,  never  been  known  to  argue  with  anybody. 
Why  should  he  not  occasionally  awe  her  with 
his  high  sounding  words  ?  It  is  a  pity  that  Ruth 
or  Marion  had  not  been  there  to  take  up  the 
theme ;  and  yet  it  is  doubtful  if  arguments 
would  have  had  any  weight  with  him.  The 
truth  was,  he  did  not  need  to  be  convinced. 
Probably  Flossy's  perfect  gravity,  and  dignity, 
and  silence,  did  more  to  answer  him  than  any 
keen  words  could  have  done. 


CHAPTER  V. 

NEW  MUSIC. 

i  HARLIE  arose  suddenly  and  went  toward 
!  the  piano.  Things  were  becoming  uncom 
fortably  grave. 

"  Sis,"  he  said,  "  can't  you  give  us  some  new 
music  ?  Try  this  new  piece ;  Baker  hasn't  heard 
you  sing  it.  I  don't  think  it  is  remarkable,  but 
it  is  better  than  none.  We  seem  to  have  a  very 
small  list  of  music  that  will  pass  the  orthodox 
line  for  Sunday  use." 

Both  he  and  Flossy  had  sighed  over  the  dearth 
of  pretty  things  that  were  suited  to  Sunday. 
The  one  in  question  was  one  of  the  worst  of  its 
kind  —  one  of  that  class  which  Satan  seems  to 
have  been  at  work  getting  up,  for  the  purpose  of 

(87) 


88  The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Some. 

lulling  to  rest  weak  consciences.  Sickly,  senti 
mental  ideas,  expressed  in  words  that  are  on  the 
very  verge  of  silly  ;  and  yet,  with  just  enough 
solemn  sounding  phrases  in  them,  thrown  in  here 
and  there,  to  allow  them  to  be  caught  up  by  a 
certain  class,  and  pronounced  "sacred  song." 
Flossy  had  herself  selected  this  one,  and  before 
her  departure  for  Chautauqua  had  pronounced 
it  very  good.  She  had  not  looked  at  it  since  she 
came  home.  Charlie  spread  it  open  for  her  on 
the  piano,  then  returned  to  the  sofa  to  enjoy  the 
music.  Flossy's  voice  was  sweet  and  tender; 
no  power  in  it,  and  little  change  of  feeling,  but 
pleasant  to  listen  to,  and  capable  of  being  ten 
der  and  pathetic.  She  looked  over  the  sacred 
song  with  a  feeling  of  aversion  almost  amount 
ing  to  disgust.  The  pitiful  attempts  at  religion 
Bounded  to  her  recently  impressed  heart  almost 
like  a  caricature.  On  the  piano  beside  her  lay  a 
copy  of  "  Gospel  Songs  ;  "  open,  so  it  happened 
(?),  at  the  blessed  and  solemn  hymn,  "  How 
much  owest  thou  ?  "  Now  a  coincidence  that 
seemed  remarkable,  and  at  once  startled  and  im 
pressed  Flossy,  was  that  Dr.  Dennis'  text  for  the 
evening  had  been  the  words,  "  How  much  owest 


New  Music.  89 

thou  unto  my  Lord  ?  "  She  hesitated  just  a 
moment,  then  she  resolutely  pushed  aside  the 
sheet  music,  drew  the  book  toward  her,  and 
without  giving  herself  time  for  a  prelude,  gave 
herself  to  the  beautiful  and  well-remembered 
words : 

"  How  much  owest  thou  ? 
For  years  of  tender,  watchful  care, 
A  father's  faith,  a  mother's  prayer  — 
How  much  owest  thou  ? 

"  How  much  owest  thou  ? 
For  calls,  and  warnings  loud  and  plain, 
For  songs  and  sermons  heard  in  vain  — 

How  much  owest  thou  ? 

"  How  much  owest  thou  ? 
Thy  day  of  grace  is  almost  o'er, 
The  judgment  time  is  just  before  — 

How  much  owest  thou  ? 

"  How  much  owest  thou  ? 
Oh,  child  of  God,  and  heir  of  heaven, 
Thy  soul  redeemed,  thy  sins  forgiven  — 

How  much  owest  thou  ?  " 

Flossy  had  heard  Mr.  Bliss,  with  his  grand  and 
glorious  voice,  ring  that  out  on  a  certain  even 
ing  at  Chautauqua,  where  all  the  associations  of 


90  The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

the  hour  and  place  had  been  solemn  and  sacred. 
It  might  have  been  in  part  these  memories,  and 
the  sense  of  something  missed,  that  made  her 
have  a  homesick  longing  for  the  place  and  song 
again,  that  gave  to  her  voice  an  unusually  sweet 
and  plaintive  sound.  Every  word  was  plain  and 
clear,  and  wonderfully  solemn;  but  when  she 
reached  the  words, 

"  Oh,  child  of  God,  and  heir  of  heaven, 
Thy  soul  redeemed,  thy  sins  forgiven," 

There  rang  out  a  note  of  triumph  that  filled  the 
room,  and  made  the  hearts  of  her  listeners  throb 
with  surprise  and  wonder.  Long  before  the 
gong  was  closed  her  father  had  laid  aside  the 
Times,  and,  with  spectacles  pushed  above  his 
eyes,  was  listening  intently.  Absolute  silence 
reigned  for  a  moment,  as  Flossy's  voice  died  out 
in  sweetness  ;  then  Charlie,  clearing  his  throat 
said: 

"  Well,  I  van  I  I  said  I  didn't  consider  the 
song  remarkable.  But  I  take  it  back  ;  it  is  cer 
tainly  remarkable.  Did  you  ever  hear  anything 
that  had  so  changed  since  you  last  met  it  ?  " 

Col.  Baker  did  not  at  once  reply.     The  very 


New  Musie.  91 

first  line  had  struck  him,  for  the  reason  that 
above  most  men,  he  had  reason  to  remember  a 
"  mother's  prayer."  There  were  circumstances 
connected  with  that  mother  of  his  that  made  the 
line  doubly  startling  to  him.  He  was  agitated 
by  the  wonderful  directness  of  the  solemn  words, 
and  he  was  vexed  that  they  agitated  him ;  so 
when  he  did  speak,  to  conceal  his  feeling,  he 
made  his  voice  flappant. 

"  It  is  a  remarkable  production,  worthy  of 
camp-meeting,  I  should  say.  But,  Miss  Flossy, 
allow  me  to  congratulate  you.  It  was  sung  with 
striking  effect." 

Flossy  arose  suddenly  from  the  piano,  and 
closed  the  book  of  hymns. 

"  Col.  Baker,"  she  said,  "  may  I  ask  you  to  ex 
cuse  me  this  evening  ?  I  find  I  am  not  in  a 
mood  to  enjoy  conversation;  my  brother  will 
entertain  you,  I  am  sure." 

'  And  before  Col.  Baker  could  recover  from  his 
astonishment  sufficiently  to  make  any  reply  at 
all,  she  had  given  him  a  courteous  bow  for  good- 
uight,  and  escaped  from  the  room. 

The  situation  was  discussed  by  the  Shipley 
family  at  the  next  morning's  breakfast  table. 


92          The  Chautauqua  CrirU  at  Home. 

Flossy  had  come  down  a  trifle  late,  looking  pale 
and  somewhat  sober,  and  was  rallied  by  Kitty  as 
to  the  cause. 

"  Her  conscience  is  troubling  her  a  little,  I 
fancy,"  her  father  said,  eyeing  her  closely  from 
under  heavy  brows.  "  Weren't  you  just  a  little 
hard  on  the  colonel,  last  night,  daughter  ?  Ktr 
is  willing  to  endure  considerable  from  you,  ] 
guess ;  but  I  wouldn't  try  him  too  far." 

"  What  was  the  trouble,  father  ?  W  hat  has 
Flossy  done  now  ?  I  thought  she  was  going  to 
be  good  at  last  ?  " 

"  Done  I  You  may  well  ask  what,  Miss  Kitty. 
Suppose  the  friend  you  had  shut  up  in  the  library 
had  been  informed  suddenly  that  you  were  not 
in  a  mood  to  talk  with  him,  and  then  you  had 
decamped  and  left  him  to  the  tender  mercies  of 
two  men  ?  " 

"  Whjr,  Flossy  Shipley  I  you  didn't  do  that, 
did  you  ?  Really,  if  I  were  Col.  Baker  I  would 
never  call  on  you  again." 

"  I  don't  see  the  harm,"  Flossy  said,  simply. 
"  Father  and  Charlie  were  both  there.  Surely 
that  was  company  enough  for  him.  I  hadn't  in 
vited  him  to  call." 


New  Music.  93 

"  Oh,  undoubtedly  lie  calls  on  purpose  to  see 
father  and  Charlie  !  He  has  not  been  so  atten 
tive  to  the  family  during  your  absence,  I  can  as 
sure  you.  We  haven't  so  much  as  had  a  peep 
at  him  since  you  went  away.  Floss}',  I  hadn't 
an  idea  you  could  be  so  rude.  I  declare,  I  think 
that  Wilbur  girl  is  demoralizing  you.  They  say 
she  has  no  idea  of  considering  people's  feelings  j 
but  then,  one  expects  it  of  her  class." 

Mrs.  Shipley  came  to  Flossy's  aid  : 

"  Poor  child,  I  don't  blame  her  for  slipping 
away.  She  was  tired.  She  had  been  to  church 
twice,  and  to  Sunday-school  at  noon,  without 
any  lunch,  too.  Floss}*-,  you  mustn't  indulge  in 
such  an  absurd  freak  another  Sunday.  It  is  too 
much  for  you.  I  am  sure  it  is  not  strange  that 
you  wanted  to  get  away  to  rest." 

Then  the  father : 

"  I  dare  say  you  were  tired,  as  your  mother 
says ;  in  fact,  though,  I  must  say  I  think  I  never 
baw  you  looking  better  than  you  were  last  even 
ing.  But  it  was  a  trifle  thoughtless,  daughter, 
and  I  want  you  to  be  more  careful  in  the  future. 
Col.  Baker's  father  was  my  oldest  and  most  val 
ued  friend,  and  I  want  Ids  son  to  be  treated  with 


94  The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

the  utmost  consideration,  and  to  feel  that  he  ig 
always  welcome.  Since  he  has  so  special  a 
friendship  for  you.  you  must  just  remember  that 
his  position  in  society  is  one  of  the  highest,  and 
that  you  are  really  decidedly  honored.  Not  that 
I  am  rebuking  you,  Flossy  dear,  only  putting 
you  on  your  guard ;  for  remember  that  you  carry 
a  very  thoughtless  little  head  on  your  pretty 
shoulders." 

And  then  he  leaned  over  and  patted  the 
thoughtless  head,  and  gave  the  glowing  cheek 
such  a  loving,  fatherly  kiss. 

As  for  poor  Flossy,  the  bit  of  steak  she  was 
trying  to  swallow  seemed  to  choke  her;  she 
struggled  bravely  to  keep  back  the  tears  that 
she  felt  were  all  ready  to  fall.  The  way  looked 
shadowy  to  her;  she  felt  like  a  deceitful  cow 
ard.  Here  were  they,  making  excuses  for  her 
—  tired,  thoughtless,  and  the  like.  Oh,  for  cour 
age  to  say  to  them  that  she  had  not  been  tired 
at  all,  and  that  she  thought  about  that  action  oi 
hers  longer  than  she  had  thought  about  anything 
in  her  life,  up  to  a  few  weeks  ago. 

If  she  could  only  tell  them  out  boldly  and 
plainly  that  everything  was  changed  to  her, 


New  Music.  95 

that  she  looked  at  life  from  a  different  stand 
point;  and  that,  standing  where  she  did  now,  it 
looked  all  wrong  to  spend  the  last  hoars  of  the 
Sabbath  in  entertaining  company.  But  her  poor 
little  tongue,  all  unused  to  being  brave,  so 
shrank  from  this  ordeal,  and  the  lump  in  her 
throat  so  nearly  choked  her,  that  she  made  no 
attempt  at  words. 

So  the  shadows  that  had  fallen  on  her  heart 
grew  heavier  as  she  went  about  her  pretty  room. 
She  foresaw  a  troubled  future.  Not  only  must 
the  explanation  come,  but  she  foresaw  that  her 
changed  plans  would  lie  right  athwart  the  views 
and  plans  of  her  father. 

What  endless  trouble  and  discomfort  would 
this  occasion  I  Also,  there  were  her  pet  schemes 
for  Sunday-school,  including  those  boys  for 
whom  she  had  already  planned  a  dozen  different 
things. 

Her  mother  had  frankly  expressed  her  opin 
ion,  and,  although  it  is  not  the  age  when  parents 
say,  nor  were  Flossy's  parents  of  the  sort  who 
would  ever  have  said,  "  You  must  do  thus,  and 
you  shall  not  do  so,"  still,  she  foresaw  endless 
discussions ;  sarcastic  raillery  from  Kittie  and 


96          The  Chautauqui  Crirh  at  Home. 

Charlie ;  persuasions  from  her  mother ;  earnest 
protests  from  her  father,  and  a  general  air  of  lack 
of  sympathy  or  interest  about  them  all. 

These  things  were  to  Flossy  almost  more  than, 
under  some  circumstances,  the  martyr's  stake 
would  have  been  to  Marion  Wilbur.  Then  she, 
too,  as  she  went  about  doing  sundry  little  things 
toward  making  her  room  more  perfect  in  its  or 
der,  took  up  Marion's  fashion  of  pitying  herself, 
and  looking  longingly  at  the  brightness  in  some 
other  life. 

Not  Marion's,  for  she  was  all  alone,  and  had 
great  responsibilities,  and  no  one  to  shield  her 
or  help  her  or  comfort  her  ;  that  was  dreadful. 
Not  Ruth's,  for  her  life  was  so  high  up  among 
books  and  paintings  and  grandeur,  that  it  looked 
like  cold  elegance  and  nothing  else. 

She  wouldn't  have  lived  that  life ;  but  there 
was  Eurie  Mitchell,  in  a  little  home  that  had  al 
ways  looked  sunny  and  cheerful  when  she  had 
taken  occasional  peeps  into  it — somewhat  stirred 
up,  as  became  a  large  family  and  small  means, 
but  with  a  cleanly,  cheery  sort  of  stir  that  was 
agreeable  rather  than  otherwise. 

And  there  were  little  children  to  love  and  care 


New  Music.  97 

for  —  children  who  put  their  arms  around  one's 
neck  and  said,  "  I  love  you,"  a  great  many  times 
in  a  day. 

Flossy,  having  never  tried  it,  did  not  realize 
that  if  the  fingers  had  been  sticky  or  greasy  or  a 
trifle  black,  as  they  were  apt  to  be,  it  would  be 
an  exceeding  annoyance  to  her.  She  saw  what 
people  usually  do  see  about  other  people's  cares 
and  duties,  only  the  pretty,  pleasant  side.  To 
have  felt  somewhat  of  the  other  side  she  should 
have  spent  that  Monday  with  Eurie. 

To  Eurie  a  Monday  rain  was  a  positive  afflic 
tion;  it  necessitated  the  marshaling  of  tubs 
and  pails  into  the  little  kitchen,  and  the 
endurance  of  Mrs.  Maloney's  presence  in  con 
stant  contact  with  the  dinner  arrangements  — 
on  pleasant  days  Mrs.  Maloney  betook  herself 
to  the  open  air. 

Then,  in  the  Mitchell  family  there  was  that 
trial  to  any  woman  of  ordinary  patience,  a  small 
girl  who  "  helped  "  —  worked  for  her  board 
mornings  and  evenings,  and  played  at  school  the 
rest  of  the  time. 

Sallie  Whitcomb,  the  creature  who  tried  Eu 
rie,  was  rather  duller  than  the  most  of  her  class, 


98  The   Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Some. 

and  had  her  days  or  spells  when  she  seemed  ut 
terly  incapable  of  understanding  the  English 
language.  This  day  was  very  apt  to  be  Mon 
day  ;  and  on  the  particular  Monday  of  which  I 
write,  the  spell  was  on  her  in  full  force. 

Tc  add  to  the  bewilderments  of  the  day,  Dr. 
Mitchell,  after  a  very  hurried  breakfast,  had  de 
parted,  taking  the  household  genius  with  him,  to 
see  a  patient  and  friend,  who  was  worse. 

"  I  don't  know  how  you  will  manage,"  Mrs. 
Mitchell  had  said,  as  she  paid  a  hasty  visit  to  the 
kitchen.  "  There  is  bread  to  mix,  you  know, 
and  that  yeast  ought  to  be  made  to-day ;  and 
then  the  starch  you  must  look  after  or  it  will  be 
lumpy  ;  and  oh,  Eurie,  do  see  that  your  father's 
handkerchiefs  are  all  picked  up,  he  leaves  them 
around  so.  You  must  keep  an  eye  on  the  baby, 
for  he  is  a  trifle  hoarse  this  morning  ;  and  Rob 
bie  mustn't  go  in  the  wind  —  mustn't  eat  a  sin 
gle  apple,  for  he  isn't  at  all  well ;  you  must  see 
to  that,  Eurie  — I  wouldn't  have  you  forget  him 
for  anything.  See  here,  when  the  baby  takes  a 
nap,  see  that  the  lower  sash  is  shut — there  is 
quite  a  draught  through  the  room.  I  don't 
know  how  you  are  to  get  through.  You  must 


New  Music.  99 

keep  Jennie  from  school  to  take  care  of  the  chil 
dren,  and  do  the  best  3-011  can.  If  Mrs.  Cray- 
mer  hadn't  sent  for  me  I  wouldn't  go  this  morn 
ing,  much  as  I  want  to  see  her,  but  I  think  I 
ought  to,  as  it  is." 

"  Of  course,"  Eurie  said,  cheerily.  "  Don't 
worry  about  us,  mother;  we'll  get  through  some 
how.  I'll  see  to  Mrs.  Maloney  and  all  the  rest." 

"  Well,  be  careful  about  the  bread ;  don't  let 
it  get  too  light,  and  don't  for  anything  put  it  in 
too  soon  :  it  was  a  trifle  heavy  last  week,  you 
know,  and  your  father  dislikes  it  so.  Never 
mind  much  about  dinner ;  your  father  will  have 
to  go  to  two  or  three  places  when  he  gets  back 
from  the  Valley,  and  I  can  get  up  a  warm  bite 
for  him  while  he  is  gone." 

And  with  a  little  sigh,  and  a  regretful  look 
back  into  the  crowded,  steamy  kitchen,  Mrs. 
Mitchell  answered  her  husband's  hurried  call 
and  ran.  So  Eurie  was  left  mistress  of  the  oc 
casion. 

It  looked  like  a  mountain  to  her.  The  dishes 
were  piled  higher  than  usual,  for  the  Sabbath 
evening  lunch  had  made  many  that  had  not  been 
washed.  And  Sallie,  who  should  have  been 


100         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

deep  into  them  already,  was  at  that  moment 
hanging  on  the  gate  she  had  gone  to  shut,  and 
watching  the  retreating  tail  of  the  doctor's 
horse. 

"  Sallie !  "  Eurie  called,  and  Sallie  came,  look 
ing  bewildered  and  indolent,  eating  an  apple  as 
she  walked. 

"  Now,  Sallie,  you  must  hurry  with  the  dishes  , 
see  how  soon  you  can  get  them  all  out  of  the 
way.  I  have  the  bread  to  mix  and  a  dozen 
other  things  to  do,  and  I  can't  help  you  a  bit." 

At  the  same  time  she  had  an  inward  conscious 
ness  that  the  great  army  of  dishes  would  never 
marshal  into  place  till  she  came  to  their  aid. 

This  was  the  beginning,  not  a  pleasant  one, 
and  the  bewilderments  of  the  morning  deepened 
with  every  passing  half  hour. 

What  happened  ?  Dear  me,  what  didn't?  In 
experienced  Eurie,  who  rarely  had  the  family 
bread  left  on  her  hands,  went  to  mixing  it  before 
getting  baking  tins  ready,  and  Sallie  left  her 
dishes  to  attend  to  it,  and  dripped  dish-water 
over  them  and  the  molding-board  and  on  Eurie's 
clean  apron,  in  such  an  unmistakable  manner, 
that  the  annoyed  young  lady  washed  her  hands 


New  Music.  101 

of  dough  and  dumped  the  whole  pile  of  tins  un 
ceremoniously  into  the  dish-water. 

"  They  are  so  greasy  I  can't  touch  them  I " 
she  said  in  disdain,  "  and  have  drops  of  dish-wa 
ter  all  over  them,  and  besides  here  is  the  core  of 
an  apple  in  one.  I  wonder,  Sallie,  if  you  eat  ap 
ples  while  you  are  washing  the  dishes !  Put 
some  wood  in  the  stove.  Jennie,  can't  you  come 
here  and  wipe  these  dishes  ?  We  won't  get 
them  out  of  the  way  before  mother  comes  home." 

Jenny  appeared  at  the  door,  book  in  hand. 

"How  can  I  leave  the  baby,  Eurie?  Robbie 
says  he  can't  play  with  him  —  he  feels  too  sick. 
I  think  something  ought  to  be  done  for  Robbie ; 
his  cheeks  are  as  red  as  scarlet." 

Whereupon  Eurie  left  dishes  and  bread  and 
went  in  to  feel  of  Robbie's  pulse,  and  ask  how 
he  felt,  and  get  a  pillow  for  him  to  lie  on  the 
lounge  ;  and  the  baby  cried  for  her  and  had  to 
be  taken  a  minute ;  so  the  time  went  —  time  al 
ways  goes  like  lightning  in  the  kitchen  on  Mon 
day  morning.  When  that  bread  was  finally  set 
to  rise,  Eurie  dismissed  Sallie  from  the  dish-pan 
in  disgust,  with  orders  to  sweep  the  room,  if  she 
could  leave  her  apple  long  enough. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DISTUEBING   ELEMENTS. 

HE  next  anxiety  was  the  baby,  who  con 
trived  to  tumble  himself  over  in  his  high 
chair,  and  cried  loudly.  Eurie  ran.  Dr.  Mitch 
ell  was  always  so  troubled  about  bumps  on  the 
head.  She  bathed  this  in  cold  water,  and  in  ar 
nica,  and  petted,  and  soothed,  and  pacified  as 
well  as  she  could  a  child  who  thought  it  a  spe 
cial  and  unendurable  state  of  things  not  to  have 
mamma  and  nobody  else.  Between  the  pet 
ting  she  administered  wholesome  reproof  to 
Jennie. 

"  If  you  hadn't  been  reading,  instead  of  at 
tending  to  him  this  would  not  have  happened 
I  wish  I  had  told  mother  to  lock  up  all  the  books 

(102) 


Disturbing  Elements.  103 

before  she  went.  You  are  great  help;  worth 
while  to  stay  from  school  to  bury  yourself  in  a 
book." 

"  I  haven't  read  a  dozen  pages  this  morning," 
Jennie  said,  with  glowing  cheeks.  "  He  was  sit 
ting  in  his  high  chair,  just  as  he  always  is,  and  I 
had  stepped  across  the  room  to  get  a  picture- 
book  for  Robbie.  How  could  I  know  that  he 
was  going  to  fall  ?  I  don't  think  you  are  very 
kind,  anyway,  when  I  am  helping  all  that  I  can, 
and  losing  school  besides." 

And  Miss  Jennie  put  on  an  air  of  lofty  and  in 
jured  innocence. 

"  I  believe  she  is  sweeping  right  on  the  bread," 
said  Eurie,  her  thoughts  turned  into  another 
channel.  "  Go  and  see,  Jennie." 

Jennie  went,  and  returned  as  full  of  comfort 
as  any  of  Job's  friends. 

"  She  swept  right  straight  at  it ;  and  she  left  the 
door  open,  and  the  wind  blew  the  cloth  off,  and  a 
great  hunk  of  dust  and  dirt  lies  right  on  top  of 
one  loaf,  and  the  clothes  are  boiling  over  on  the 
others.  Nice  bread  you'll  have  !  " 

Before  this  sentence  was  half  finished,  Eurie 
sat  the  baby  on  the  floor  and  ran,  stopping  only 


104         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

to  give  orders  that  Jennie  should  not  let  him  go 
to  sleep  for  anything. 

The  door-bell  was  the  next  sound  that  tried 
her  nerves.  The  little  parlor  where  they  had 
lingered  late,  she  and  Nellis,  last  evening,  when 
they  had  a  pleasant  talk  together,  the  pleasant- 
est  she  had  ever  had  with  that  brother ;  now  she 
remembered  how  it  looked ;  how  he  had  said,  as 
he  glanced  back  when  they  were  leaving : 

"  Eurie,  I  hope  you  won't  have  any  special 
calls  before  you  get  around  to  this  room  in  the 
morning ;  it  looks  as  though  there  had  been  an 
upheaval  of  books  and  papers  here." 

Books,  and  papers,  and  dust,  and  her  hat  and 
sack,  and  Jennie's  gloves,  and  Robbie's  play 
things  ;  she  had  forgotten  the  parlor. 

Meantime,  Jennie  had  rushed  to  the  door,  and 
now  returned,  holding  the  kitchen  door  open, 
and  talking  loud  enough  to  be  heard  distinctly 
in  the  parlor. 

"  Eurie,  Leonard  Brooks  is  in  the  parlor.  He 
says  he  wants  to  see  you  for  just  a  minute,  and  I 
should  think  that  is  about  as  long  as  he  would 
care  to  stay ;  it  looks  like  sixty  in  there." 

"  Oh,  dear  me  I  "  said  Eurie,  and  she  looked 


Disturbing  Elements.  105 

down  at  her  dress.  It  had  long  black  streaks 
running  diagonally  across  it,  and  dishwater  and 
grease  combined  on  her  apron ;  a  few  drops  of 
arnica  on  her  sleeves  and  hands  did  not  improve 
the  general  effect. 

"  Jennie,  why  in  the  world  didn't  you  tell  him 
that  I  was  engaged,  and  couldn't  see  him  this 
morning  ?  " 

•  "  Why,  how  should  I  know  that  you  wanted 
me  to  say  so  to  people  ?  You  didn't  tell  me.  He 
said  he  was  in  a  hurry.  He  isn't  alone,  either ; 
there  is  a  strange  gentleman  with  him." 

Worse  and  worse. 

"  I  won't  go,"  said  Eurie. 

"  But  you  will  have  to.  I  told  him  you  were 
at  home,  and  would  be  in  in  a  moment.  Go  on, 
what  do  you  care  ?  " 

There  was  no  way  but  to  follow  this  advice ; 
but  she  did  care.  She  set  the  starch  back  on 
the  stove,  and  washed  her  hands,  and  waited 
while  Sallie  ran  up-stairs  and  hunted  a  towel ; 
then  she  went,  flushed  and  annoyed,  to  the  par 
lor.  Leonard  Brooks  was  an  old  acquaintance, 
but  who  was  the  stranger  ? 

"  Mr.  Holden,  of  New  York,"  Leonard  said. 


106         The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Some. 

"  They  would  detain  her  but  a  moment,  as  she 
was  doubtless  engaged ; "  and  then  Leonard 
looked  mischievously  down  at  the  streaked  dress. 
He  was  not  used  to  seeing  Eurie  look  so  entirely 
awry  in  the  matter  of  her  toilet. 

Mr.  Holden  was  going  to  get  up  a  tableau  en 
tertainment,  and  needed  home  talent  to  help 
him ;  he,  Leonard,  had  volunteered  to  introduce 
him  to  some  of  the  talented  ladies  of  the  city, 
and  had  put  her  first  on  the  list.  Eurie  strug 
gled  with  her  embarrassment,  and  answered  in 
her  usual  way : 

"  He  can  see  at  a  glance  that  I  merit  the  com 
pliment.  If  myself  and  all  my  surroundings  don't 
show  a  marked  talent  for  disorder,  I  don't  know 
what  would." 

Mr.  Holden  was  courteous  and  gallant  in  the 
extreme.  He  took  very  little  notice  of  the  re 
mark;  ignored  the  state  of  the  room  utterly; 
apologized  for  the  unseemly  hour  of  their  call, 
attributing  it  to  his  earnest  desire  to  secure  her 
name  before  there  was  any  other  engagement 
made  ;  "  might  he  depend  on  her  influence  and 
help?" 

Eurie  was  in  a  hurry.     She  smelled  the  starch 


Disturbing  Elements.  107 

scorching  ;  Robbie  was  crying  fretfully,  and  the 
baby  was  so  quiet  she  feared  he  was  asleep  ;  the 
main  point  was,  to  get  rid  of  her  callers  as  soon 
as  possible.  She  asked  few  questions,  and  knew 
as  little  about  the  projected  entertainment  as 
possible,  save  that  she  was  pledged  to  a  rehearsal 
on  the  coming  Wednesday  at  eight  o'clock. 
Then  she  bowed  them  out  with  a  sense  of  re 
lief;  and,  merely  remarking  to  Jennie  that  she 
wished  she  could  coax  Robbie  and  the  baby  into 
the  parlor,  and  clear  it  up  a  little  before  anybody 
more  formidable  arrived,  she  went  back  to  tha 
scorched  starch  and  other  trials. 

From  that  time  forth  a  great  many  people 
wanted  Dr.  Mitchell.  The  bell  rang,  and  rang, 
and  rang.  Jennie  had  to  run,  and  Eurie  had  to 
run  to  baby.  Then  came  noon  bringing  the 
boys  home  from  school,  hungry  and  in  a  hurry ; 
and  Eurie  had  to  go  to  Sallie's  help,  who  was 
struggling  to  get  the  table  set,  and  something  on 
it  to  eat. 

Whereupon  the  bread  suddenly  announced  it 
self  ready  for  the  oven  by  spreading  over  one- 
half  of  the  bread  cloth,  with  a  sticky  mass. 
Then  the  bell  rang  again. 


108         The  CJiautaugua  Girls  at  Home. 

"  I  hope  that  is  some  one  who  will  send  to  the 
Valley  for  father  right  away ;  then  we  shall  have 
mother  again." 

This  was  Eurie's  half  aloud  admission  that  she 
was  not  equal  to  the  strain.  Then  she  listened 
for  Jennie's  report.  The  parlor  door  being 
opened,  and  somebody  being  invited  thither ; 
and  that  room  not  cleared  up  yet !  Then  came 
Jennie  with  her  exasperating  news." 

It  is  Dr.  Suowdon,  from  Morristown,  and  he 
wants  father  for  a  consultation ;  says  he  is  going 
to  take  him  back  with  him  on  the  two  o'clock 
train,  and  he  wants  to  know  if  you  could  let  him 
have  a  mouthful  of  dinner  with  father?  He 
met  father  at  the  crossing  half  a  mile  below,  and 
he  told  him  to  come  right  on." 

"And  where  is  mother?  "  said  Euiie,  pale  and 
almost  breathless  under  this  new  calamity. 

"  Why,  he  didn't  say ;  but  I  suppose  she  is 
with  father.  He  stopped  to  call  at  the  New 
ton's.  I  guess  you  will  have  to  hurry,  won't 
you?" 

Jennie  was  provokingly  cool  and  composed ; 
no  sense  of  responsibility  rested  upon  her. 

**  Hurry !  "  said  Eurie.     "  Why,  he  can't  have 


Disturbing  Elements.  109 

any  dinner  here.  We  haven't  a  thing  in  the 
house  for  a  stranger." 

"  Well,"  said  Jennie,  balancing  herself  on  one 
foot,  "shall  I  go  and  tell  him  that  he  must  take 
himself  off  to  a  hotel  ?  " 

"Nonsense  I  "  said  Eurie ;  "  you  know  better." 
Then  she  whisked  into  the  kitchen.  Twenty 
minutes  of  one,  and  the  train  went  at  ten  min 
utes  of  two,  and  nothing  to  eat,  and  Dr.  Snow- 
don  (of  all  particular  and  gentlemanly  mortals, 
without  a  wife  or  a  home,  or  any  sense  of 
the  drawbacks  of  Monday)  to  eat  it!  Is  it 
hardly  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  boys  voted 
Eurie  awfully  cross  ? 

"  Altogether,  it  was  just  the  most  horrid  time 
that  ever  anybody  had."  That  was  the  way 
Eurie  closed  the  account  of  it,  as  she  sat  curled 
on  the  foot  of  Marion's  bed,  with  the  three 
friends,  who  had  been  listening  and  laughing, 
gathered  around  her  in  different  attitudes  of  at 
tention. 

"  Oh,  you  can  laugh,  and  so  can  I,  now  that  it 
is  over,"  Eurie  said.  "  But  I  should  just  like  to 
have  seen  one  of  you  in  my  place ;  it  was  no 
laughing  matter,  I  can  tell  you.  It  was  just  the 


110         The  CTiautauqua  Q-irh  at  Home. 

beginning  of  vexations,  though ;  the  whole  week, 
so  far,  has  been  exasperating  in  every  respect. 
Never  anything  went  less  according  to  planning 
than  my  programme  for  the  week  has." 

Each  of  her  auditors  could  have  echoed  that, 
but  they  were  silent.  At  last  Marion  asked : 

"  But  how  did  you  get  out  of  it  ?  Tell  us 
that.  Now,  a  dinner  of  any  kind  is  something 
that  is  beyond  me.  I  can  imagine  you  transfixed 
with  horror.  Just  tell  us  what  you  did." 

"  Why,  you  will  wonder  who  came  to  my  res 
cue  ;  but  I  tell  you,  girls,  Nellis  is  the  best  fel 
low  in  the  world.  If  I  was  half  as  good  a  Chris 
tian  as  he  is,  without  any  of  that  to  help  him,  I 
should  be  a  thankful  mortal.  I  didn't  expect 
him,  thought  he  had  gone  away  for  the  day ; 
but  when  he  came  he  took  in  the  situation  at  a 
glance.  Half  a  dozen  words  of  explanation  set 
him  right.  '  Never  mind.'  he  said.  '  Tell  him 
we  didn't  mean  to  have  dinner  so  early,  but  we 
flew  around  and  got  them  a  bite  —  then  let's  do 
it.'  '  But  what  will  the  bite  be  ? '  I  asked,  and 
I  stood  looking  up  at  him  like  a  ninny  who  had 
never  gotten  a  meal  in  her  life.  '  Why,  bread, 
and  butter,  and  coffee,  and  a  dish  of  sauce,  and 


Disturbing  Elements.  Ill 

a  pickle,  or  something  of  that  sort ; '  and  the 
things  really  sounded  appetizing  as  he  told  them 
off.  *  Come,'  he  said,  '  I'll  grind  the  coffee,  and 
make  it;  I  used  to  be  a  dabster  at  that  dish 
when  I  was  in  college.  Jennie,  you  set  the  ta 
ble,  and  Ned  will  help ;  he's  well  enough  foi 
that,  I  know.' 

"  And  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  he 
had  us  all  at  work,  baby  and  all ;  and,  really,  we 
managed  to  get  up  quite  a  decent  meal,  out  of 
nothing,  you  understand  ;  had  it  ready  when  fa 
ther  drove  up  ;  and  he  said  it  was  as  good  a  din 
ner  as  he  had  had  in  a  week.  But,  oh,  me  I  I'm 
glad  such  days  don't  come  very  often.  You 
see,  none  of  you  know  anything  about  it.  You 
girls  with  your  kitchens  supplied  with  first-class 
cooks,  and  without  any  more  idea  of  what  goes 
on  in  the  way  of  work  before  you  are  fed  than 
though  you  lived  in  the  moon,  what  do  you  know 
about  such  a  day  as  I  have  described  ?  Here's 
Marion,  to  be  sure,  who  has  about  as  empty  a 
purse  as  mine ;  but  as  for  kitchens,  and  wash 
days,  and  picked-up  dinners,  she  is  a  novice." 

"  I  know  all  about  those  last  articles,  so  far  as 
eating  them  is  concerned,"  Marion  said,  grimly. 


112         The  Chautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

"  I  know  things  about  them  that  you  don't,  and 
never  will.  But  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that 
living  a  Christian  life  isn't  walking  on  a  feather 
bed,  whether  you  live  in  a  palace  or  a  fourth- 
rate  board-house,  and  teach  school.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  there  were  such  things  as  vexations 
everywhere." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,"  Ruth  Erskine  said,  speaking 
more  quickly  than  was  usual  to  her.  The  others 
had  been  more  or  less  communicative  with  each 
other.  It  wasn't  in  Ruth's  nature  to  tell  how 
tried,  and  dissatisfied  she  had  been  with  herself 
and  her  life,  and  her  surroundings  all  the  week. 
She  was  not  s}'mpathetic  by  nature.  She 
couldn't  tell  her  inward  feeling  to  any  one  ;  but 
she  could  indorse  heartily  the  discovery  that 
Marion  had  made. 

"  Well,  I  know  one  thing,"  said  Eurie,  "  it 
requires  twice  the  grace  that  I  supposed  it  did 
to  get  through  with  kitchen  duties  and  exasper 
ations  and  keep  one's  temper.  I  shall  think, 
after  this,  that  mother  is  a  saint  when  she  gets 
through  the  day  without  boxing  our  ears  three 
or  four  times  around.  Come,  let's  go  to  meet- 
ing." 


Disturbing  Elements.  113 

It  was  Wednesday  evening,  and  our  four 
girls  had  met  to  talk  over  the  events  of  the 
week,  and  to  keep  each  other  countenance  dur 
ing  their  first  prayer-meeting. 

"  It  is  almost  worse  than  going  to  Sunda}-- 
school,"  Eurie  said,  as  they  went  up  the  steps, 
"  except  that  we  can  help  ourselves  to  seats 
without  waiting  fur  any  attentions  which  would 
not  be  shown." 

Now  the  First  Church  people  were  not  given 
to  going  to  prayer-meeting.  It  is  somewhat  re 
markable  how  many  First  Churches  there  are  to 
which  that  remark  will  apply.  The  chapel  was 
large  and  inviting,  looking  as  though  in  the  days 
of  its  planning  many  had  been  expected  at  the 
social  meetings,  or  else  it  was  built  with  an  eye 
to  festivals  and  societies.  The  size  of  the  room 
only  made  the  few  persons  who  were  in  it,  seem 
fewer  in  number  than  they  were. 

Flossy  had  been  to  prayer-meeting  several 
times  before  with  a  cousin  who  visited  them,  but 
none  of  the  others  had  attended  such  a  meeting 
since  they  could  remember.  To  Eurie  and  Ruth 
it  was  a  real  surprise  to  see  the  rows  of  empty 
seats.  As  for  Marion  she  had  overheard  sarcas- 


114          The   Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

tic  remarks  enough  in  the  watchful  and  critical 
world  in  which  she  had  moved  to  have  a  shrewd 
suspicion  that  such  was  the  case. 

"  I  don't  know  where  to  sit,"  whispered  Flossy, 
shrinking  from  the  gaze  of  several  heads  that 
were  turned  to  see  who  the  new  comers  were. 
"  Don't  you  suppose  they  will  seat  us  ?  " 

"Not  they,"  said  Eurie.  "Don't  you  remem 
her  Sunday  ?  We  must  just  put  the  courageous 
face  on  and  march  forward.  I'm  going  directly 
to  the  front.  I  always  said  if  ever  I  went  to 
prayer-meeting  at  all,  I  shouldn't  act  as  though 
I  was  ashamed  that  I  came."  Saying  which  she 
led  the  way  to  the  second  seat  from  the  desk,  di 
rectly  in  line  with  Dr.  Dennis'  eye. 

That  gentleman  looked  down  at  them  with 
troubled  face.  Marion  looked  to  see  it  light  up, 
for  she  said  in  her  heart : 

"  Gracie  has  surely  told  him  my  secret." 

She  knew  little  about  the  ways  in  the  busy 
minister's  household.  The  delightful  commu 
nion  of  feeling  that  she  had  imagined  between 
father  and  daughter  was  almost  unknown  to 
them.  Very  fond  and  proud  of  his  daughter 
was  Dr.  Dennis  ;  very  careful  of  her  health  and 


Disturbing  Elements.  115 

her  associations ;  very  grateful  that  she  was  a 
Christian,  and  so,  safe. 

But  so  busy  and  harassed  was  his  life,  so  end 
less  were  the  calls  on  his  time  and  his  patience 
and  his  sympathy,  that  almost  without  his  being 
aware  of  it,  his  own  family  were  the  only  mem 
bers  of  his  church  who  never  received  any  pas 
toral  calls. 

Consequently  a  reserve  like  unto  that  in  too 
many  households  had  grown  up  between  himself 
and  his  child,  utterly  unsuspected  by  the  father, 
never  but  half  owned  by  the  daughter.  He 
thought  of  her  religious  life  with  joy  and  thanks 
giving  ;  when  she  went  astray,  was  careful  and 
tender  in  his  admonition  ;  yet  of  the  inner  work 
ings  of  her  life,  of  her  reaching  after  higher  and 
better  living,  of  her  growth  in  grace,  or  her  days 
of  disappointment  and  failure  and  decline  he 
knew  no  more  than  the  veriest  stranger  with 
whom  she  never  spoke. 

For  while  Grace  Dennis  loved  and  reverenced 
her  father  more  than  she  did  any  other  earthly 
being,  she  acknowledged  to  herself  that  she  could 
not  have  told  him  even  of  the  little  conversation 
between  her  teacher  and  herself.  She  could, 


116         The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

and  did,  tell  him  all  about  the  lesson  in  algebra, 
but  not  a  word  about  the  lesson  in  Christian 
love. 

So  on  this  evening  his  face  expressed  no  satis 
faction  in  the  presence  of  the  strangers.  He 
was  simply  disturbed  that  they  had  formed  a 
league  to  meet  here  with  mischief  ahead,  as  he 
verily  believed. 

He  arose  and  read  the  opening  hymn ;  then 
looked  about  him  in  a  disturbed  way.  Nobody 
to  lead  the  singing.  This  was  too  often  the 
case.  The  quartette  choir  rarely  indeed  found 
their  way  to  the  prayer-meeting ;  and  when  the 
one  who  was  a  church-member  occasionally  came 
to  the  weekly  meeting,  for  reasons  best  known 
to  herself,  apparently  the  power  of  song  for 
which  she  received  so  good  a  Sabbath-day  salary 
had  utterly  gone  from  her,  for  she  never  opened 
her  lips. 

"I  hope," said  Dr.  Dennis,  "that  there  is  some 
one  present  who  can  start  this  tune ;  it  is  simple. 
A  prayer-meeting  without  singing  loses  half  its 
spiritual  force.  Still  every  one  was  dumb.  "  I 
am  sorry  that  I  cannot  sing  at  all,"  he  said  again, 
after  a  moment's  pause.  "  If  I  could,  ever  so 


Disturbing  Elements.  117 

little,  it  would  be  my  delight  to  consecrate  my 
•voice  to  the  service  of  God's  house." 

Still  silence.  All  this  made  Marion  remember 
her  resolves  at  Chautauqua. 

"  What  tunes  do  people  sing  in  prayer-meet 
ing  ?  "  she  whispered  to  Eurie. 

"  I  don't  know,  I  am  sure,"  Eurie  whispered 
back.  And  then  the  ludicrous  side  happened 
to  forcibly  strike  that  young  lady,  just  then  she 
shook  with  laughter  and  shook  the  seat.  Dr. 
Dennis  looked  down  at  her  with  grave,  rebuking 
eye. 

"  Well,"  he  began,  "if  we  cannot  sing  "  — 

And  then,  before  he  had  time  to  say  further,  a 
soft,  sweet  voice,  so  tremulous  it  almost  brought 
the  tears  to  think  what  a  tremendous  stretch  of 
courage  it  had  taken,  quivered  on  the  air. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


PRAYEB-MEETING     AND      TABLEAUX. 


was  Flossy  who  had  triumphed  again 
over  self  and  a  strong  natural  timidity. 
Her  voice  trembled  but  for  an  instant,  then  it 
was  literally  absorbed  in  the  rich,  full  tones 
which  Marion  allowed  to  roll  out  from  her  throat 
—  richer,  fuller,  stronger  than  they  would  have 
•been  had  she  not  again  received  this  sharp  re 
buke  from  the  timid  baby  of  their  party.  But 
that  voice  of  hers  I  I  wish  I  could  describe  it  to 
you.  It  is  not  often  that  one  hears  such  a  voice 
Such  an  one  had  never  been  heard  in  that  room, 
and  the  few  occupants  were  surely  justified  in 
twisting  their  heads  to  see  from  whence  it 
came. 

(118) 


Prayer-Meeting  and  Tableaux.          119 

It  was  still  a  new  thing  to  Marion  to  sing  such 
words  as  were  in  that  hymn  ;  and  in  the  beauty 
of  them,  and  the  enjoyment  of  their  richness,  she 
lost  sight  of  self  and  the  attention  she  was  at 
tracting,  and  sang  with  all  her  heart.  It  so  hap 
pened  that  every  one  of  the  three  friends  could 
help  her  not  a  little,  so  our  girls  had  the  singing 
in  their  own  hands  for  the  evening. 

When  the  next  hymn  was  announced,  Marion 
leaned  forward,  smiling  a  little,  and  covered  with 
her  firm,  strong  hand  the  trembling  little  gloved 
hand  of  Flossy,  and  herself  gave  the  key-note  in 
clear,  strong  tones  that  neither  faltered  nor 
trembled. 

"  You've  taken  up  your  little  cross  bravely," 
she  whispered  afterward.  "  Shown  me  my  duty 
and  shamed  me  into  it ;  the  very  lightest  end  of 
it  shall  not  rest  on  you  any  more." 

Notwithstanding  the  singing,  and  finding  that 
it  could  be  well  done,  Dr.  Dennis  took  care  to 
see  that  there  should  be  much  of  it,  that  meeting 
dragged.  The  few  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
saying  anything,  waited  until  the  very  latest 
moment,  as  if  hopeful  that  they  might  find  a 
way  of  escape  altogether,  and  yet,  when  once 


120         The  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Home. 

started,  talked  on  as  though  they  had  forgotten 
how  to  arrange  a  suitable  closing,  and  must 
therefore  go  on.  Then  the  prayers  seemed  tc 
our  new-comers  and  new-beginners  in  prayei 
very  strange  and  unnatural. 

"  Do  you  suppose  Mr.  Helm  really  feels  such 
a  deep  interest  in  everything  under  the  sun  ?  " 
queried  Eurie.  "  Or  did  he  pray  for  all  the 
world  in  detail  because  that  is  the  proper  way  to 
do?  Someway,  I  don't  feel  as  if  I  could  ever 
learn  to  pray  in  that  way.  I  believe  I  shall 
have  to  ask  for  just  what  I  want  and  then 
stop." 

"  If  you  succeed  in  keeping  to  the  latter  part 
of  your  determination  you  will  do  better  than 
the  most  of  them,"  Marion  said.  "  I  can't  help 
thinking  that  the  worst  feature  of  it  is  the  keep 
ing  on,  long  after  the  person  wants  to  stop. 
Now,  I  tell  you,  girls,  that  is  not  the  way  they 
prayed  at  Chautauqua,  is  it  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Flossy,  "  it  is  not  the  way  Dr. 
Dennis  prays,  either ;  but  then,  he  has  a  theolog 
ical  education  j  that  makes  a  difference,  I  sup 
pose." 

"  No  it  doesn't,  you  mouse,  make  a  speck  of 


Prayer-Meeting  and  Tableaux.          121 

difference.  That  old  Uncle  Billy,  as  they  call 
him,  who  sat  down  by  the  door  in  the  corner, 
hasn't  a  theological  education,  nor  any  other  sort 
of  education.  Did  he  speak  one  single  sentence 
according  to  rule  ?  Yet,  didn't  you  notice  his 
prayer  ?  Different  from  most  of  the  others.  He 
meant  it." 

"  But  you  wouldn't  say  that  none  of  the  others 
meant  it  ?  "  Ruth  said,  speaking  hesitatingly  and 
questioningly. 

"No,"  Marion  answered,  slowly.  "  I  suppose 
not,  of  course ;  yet  there  is  something  the  mat-^ 
ter  with  them.  It  may  be  that  the  ones  who 
make  them,  may  feel  them,  but  they  don't  suc 
ceed  in  making  me  feel." 

"Well,  honestly,"  said  Eurie,  "I'm  disap 
pointed.  I  have  heard  that  people  who  were 
really  Christians  liked  to  go  to  prayer-meeting 
better  than  anywhere  else,  but  I  feel  awfully 
wicked  about  it.  But,  as  true  as  I  live,  I  have 
been  in  places  that  I  thought  were  ever  so  much 
pleasanter  than  it  was  there  this  evening.  Now, 
to  tell  the  plain  truth,  some  of  the  time  I  was 
dreadfully  bored.  I'm  specially  disappointed, 
too,  for  I  had  a  plan  to  trying  to  coax  Nellis  into 


122         The   Ohautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

going  with  me,  but  I  really  don't  know  whether 
I  want  him  to  go  or  not." 

But  this  talk  was  when  they  were  on  their 
way  homeward.  Before  that,  as  they  went  down 
the  steps,  Eurie  said : 

"  What  plans  have  you  for  the  evening,  girls? 
Won't  you  go  with  me  ?  " 

And  then  she  went  back  to  that  tormenting 
Monday,  and  told  of  Leonard  Brooks'  call  with 
his  friend  Mr.  Holden,  and  of  the  tableau  enter 
tainment  to  which  she  was  pledged.  They  had 
all  heard  more  or  less  of  it,  and  all  in  some  form 
or  other  had  received  petitions  for  help,  but  none 
of  them  had  come  in  direct  contact  with  it,  save 
Eurie,  and  it  appeared  that  the  rest  of  them  had 
given  the  matter  very  little  attention.  Still, 
they  were  willing  to  go  with  Eurie,  and  see  what 
was  to  be  seen.  At  least  they  walked  on  in 
that  direction. 

Dr.  Dennis  and  his  daughter  were  directly  be 
hind  them.  As  they  neared  a  brightly-lighted 
street  corner,  he  came  up  to  Eurie  and  Marion, 
who  were  walking  together,  with  a  pleasant 
good-evening.  Something  in  Marion's  manner 
of  singing  the  hymn  had  interested  him,  and  also 


Prayer-Meeting  and  Tableaux.          123 

he  was  interested  in  learning,  if  he  could,  what 
motive  had  brought  them  to  so  unusual  a  place 
as  the  prayer-meeting. 

"  It  is  a  lovely  evening  for  a  walk,"  he  said. 
"  But,  Miss  Wilbur,  you  don't  propose  to  take  it 
alone,  I  hope !  Isn't  your  boarding  place  at 
some  distance  ?  " 

She  was  not  going  directly  home,  Marion  ex 
plained,  not  caring  to  admit  the  loneliness,  and 
also  what  evidently  seemed  to  Dr.  Dennis  the 
impropriety  of  having  to  traverse  the  street 
alone  so  often  that  it  had  failed  to  seem  a  strange 
thing  to  her.  Eurie  volunteered  further  infor 
mation  : 

"  We  are  going  up  to  Annesley's  Hall,  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  tableau  entertainment." 

Now,  it  so  happened  that  Dr.  Dennis  knew 
more  about  the  tableau  entertainment  than  Eurie 
did,  and  his  few  minutes  of  feeling  that  perhaps 
he  had  misjudged  those  girls,  departed  at  once ; 
so  did  his  genial  manner. 

"  Indeed  !  "  he  said,  in  the  coldest  tone  imagi 
nable,  and  almost  immediately  dropped  back 
with  his  daughter. 

There  was  a  gentleman  hurrying  down  the 


124         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

walk,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  overtaking 
him.  At  this  moment  he  pronounced  the  doc 
tor's  name. 

"  Walk  on,  Grace,  I  will  join  you  in  a  mo 
ment,"  the  girls  heard  Dr.  Dennis  say,  and  Grace 
stepped  forward  alone. 

Marion  glanced  back.  But  a  few  weeks  ago 
it  would  have  been  nothing  to  her  that  Grace 
Dennis  or  any  one  else  walked  alone,  so  that  she 
had  no  need  for  their  company.  But  the  law  of 
unselfishness,  which  is  the  very  essence  of  a  true 
Christian  life,  was  already  beginning  to  work 
unconsciously  in  this  girl's  heart,  and  it  made 
her  turn  now  and  say  to  Grace,  with  winning 
voice : 

"  Have  you  lost  your  companion?  Come  and 
walk  with  us  until  you  can  have  him  again. 
Miss  Mitchell,  Miss  Dennis." 

It  was  a  fact  that,  though  Eurie  was  of  the 
same  church  with  Grace  Dennis,  and  though  she 
knew  Grace  by  sight,  and  bowed  to  her  in  the 
daytime,  their  familiarity  with  each  other  was 
not  so  sufficient  as  to  insure  a  gas-light  recogni 
tion. 

"  We  know  each  other,"  Grace  said,  brightly  • 


Prayer -Meeting  and  Tableaux.  125 

"  at,  least  we  ought  to.  We  do  when  we  see 
each  other  plainly  enough.  I  have  been  mean 
ing  to  call  with  papa,  Miss  Mitchell,  but  I  haven't 
been  able  to,  yet ;  I  am  only  a  school  girl,  you 
know." 

Eurie  preferred  to  ignore  the  calling  question ; 
she  had  little  sympathy  with  that  phase  of  fash 
ionable  life ;  so  she  plunged  at  once  into  another 
subject. 

"  Are  you  going  to  the  hall  to-night,  Miss 
Dennis,  to  help  in  getting  up  the  tableau  enter 
tainment  ?  " 

Something  in  the  quick  way  in  which  Grace 
Dennis  said,  "  Oh,  no,"  made  Marion  anxious  to 
question  further. 

««  Why  not  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Miss  Mitchell 
says  they  want  all  the  ladies  of  talent ;  I'm  sure 
you  and  I  ought  to  be  there.  I  can  imagine 
you  in  a  splendid  tableau,  Gracie ;  perhaps  you 
would  better  go  and  help.  To  be  sure,  I  haven't 
been  really  invited  myself,  but  I  guess  I  can  get 
in  somehow.  Won't  you  go  with  us  now  ?  " 

"  I  can't,  Miss  Wilbur.  I  should  like  to  go ; 
I  enjoy  tableaux  ever  so  much ;  but  papa  does 
not  approve  of  making  tableaux  of  Scripture 


126         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

scenes.  You  know,  ministers  have  to  be  in  ad 
vance  on  all  these  subjects." 

Grace  spoke  in  an  apologetic  tone,  and  with  a 
flushed  face,  as  one  who  had  been  obliged  into 
saying  a  rude  thing,  and  must  make  it  sound  aa 
best  she  could. 

"Are  they  to  be  Scripture  scenes?"  Eurie 
asked  ;  and  in  the  same  breath  added  :  "  Why 
does  he  disapprove  ?  "  "» 

"  I  don't  think  I  could  give  his  reasons.  Ha 
thinks  them  irreverent,  sometimes,  I  fancy  ;  but 
I  am  not  sure.  I  never  heard  him  say  very 
much  on  the  subject;  but  I  know  quite  well 
that  he  would  not  like  me  to  go.  Don't  you 
know,  Miss  Mitchell,  that  clergymen  always 
have  to  stand  aloof  from  so  many  things,  because 
they  are  set  up  as  examples  for  others  to  fol 
low  ?  " 

"  But  what  is  the  use  of  it  if  others  don't  fol 
low?"  said  quick-witted  Eurie.  "We  must 
look  into  this  question.  I  have  never  thought 
of  it.  It  will  have  to  be  put  down  with  that 
long  list  of  subjects  on  which  I  have  never  had 
any  thoughts ;  that  list  swells  every  day." 

At  this  point  Dr.  Dennis  somewhat  decidedly 


Prayer-Meeting  and  Tableaux.  127 

summoned  his  daughter  to  his  side,  and  it  waa 
after  they  had  turned  onto  another  street  that 
the  girls  took  the  prayer-meeting  into  considera 
tion. 

They  were  still  talking  of  it  when  they  reached 
the  hall.  Quite  a  company  were  assembled, 
among  them  Eurie's  brother,  who  was  to  meet 
her  there,  and  Col.  Baker,  who  had  come  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  Flossy,  much  to  her  discom 
fiture.  Mr.  Holden  and  Leonard  Brooks  came 
over  to  the  seat  which  they  had  taken,  and  the 
former  was  presented  to  the  rest  of  the  party. 

"  This  is  capital  I "  Nellis  Mitchell  said. 
"Holden,!  congratulate  you.  I  knew  Flossy 
would  help,  and  possibly  Miss  Wilbur ;  but  I 
will  confess  to  not  even  hoping  for  you,  Miss 
Erskine." 

"  If  your  hopes  are  necessary  to  the  comple 
tion  of  this  scheme,  I  advise  you  not  to  raise 
them  high  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  fcr  they 
will  have  a  grievous  fall.  I  am  the  most  indif 
ferent  of  spectators."  This  from  Ruth,  in  her 
most  formal  and  haughty  tone.  Nellis  Mitchell 
was  not  one  of  her  favorites. 

"  Oh,  you  will  help  us,  will  you  not?"  Mr. 


128         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Rome. 

Holden  asked,  in  a  tone  so  familiar  and  friendly 
that  Ruth  flushed  as  she  answered : 

"  Thank  you,  no." 

Whereupon  Mr.  Holden  discovered  himself  to 
be  silenced. 

"  Never  mind,"  Leonard  Brooks  said,  "  we 
have  enough  helpers  promised  to  make  the  thing 
a  grand  success.  Eurie,  let  me  show  you  the 
picture  of  one  which  we  have  planned  for  you  ; 
the  scenic  effect  is  really  very  fine  —  Oriental, 
you  know  ;  and  you  will  light  up  splendidly  in 
that  picture." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Eurie,  in  an  absent-minded 
tone  :  and  she  had  to  be  twice  recalled  from  her 
thoughts  before  she  turned  to  look  at  the  plate 
spread  before  her.  On  the  instant  an  angry 
flush  arose,  spreading  itself  over  her  face  as  she 
looked.  "  You  do  not  mean  that  you  are  to  pre 
sent  this  ?  "  she  said,  at  length. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Leonard,  in  astonishment. 
Mr.  Holden  hastened  to  explain : 

"  It  is  not  often  chosen  for  tableaux,  I  admit ; 
but  on  that  account  is  all  the  more  desirable. 
We  want  to  get  away  from  the  ordinary  sort. 
This  is  magnificent  in  its  working  up.  I  had  it 


Pray er -Meeting  and  Tableaux.          129 

in  New  York  last  winter,  and  it  was  one  of  the 
finest  presented." 

"  It  will  not  be  presented  with  my  help."  Eu- 
rie's  tone  was  so  cold  and  haughty  that  Marion 
turned  toward  her  in  surprise,  and  for  the  first 
time  glanced  at  the  plate. 

"Why,  Miss  Mitchell!"  Mr.  Holden  ex 
claimed,  "  I  am  surprised  and  grieved  if  I  have 
annoyed  you  by  my  selection.  I  wus  thinking 
how  well  you  would  light  up  an  Oriental  scene. 
Is  it  the  representation  of  the  Saviour  that  you 
dislike  ?  I  cannot  see  why  that  should  be  ob 
jectionable.  It  is  dealing  with  him  as  a  mere 
man,  you  know.  It  is  simply  an  Oriental  dress 
of  a  male  figure  that  we  want  to  represent,  and 
this  figure  of  Christ  as  he  sat  at  the  well  is  so 
exceedingly  minute  and  so  carefully  drawn  that 
it  works  up  finely." 

"  Christ  at  the  well  of  Samaria !  "  read  Flossy, 
now  bending  over  the  book,  and  her  eyes  and 
cheeks  told  the  story  of  her  aversion  to  the  idea. 
"  Who  would  be  willing  to  personate  the  Sa 
viour?" 

Mr.  Holden  was  prompt  with  his  answer: 

"  I  ha-v  e  had  not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  that 


130         The   Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

matter.  My  friend,  Col.  Baker  here,  expressed 
himself  as  entirely  willing  to  undertake  it.  Why, 
my  dear  young  ladies,  you  see  it  is  nothing  but 
the  masculine  form  of  dress  that  we  want  to 
bring  out.  There  is  really  nothing  more  irrever 
ent  in  it  than  there  is  in  your  looking  at  this 
picture  here  to-night." 

"  Then  we  will  not  look  longer  at  the  picture," 
Eurie  said,  drawing  back  suddenly,  the  color  on 
her  face  deepening  into  crimson.  "  It  is  useless 
for  you  to  undertake  an  argument  with  me.  I 
will  be  very  plain  with  you,  and  inform  you  that, 
aside  from  the  irreverent  nature  of  the  tableau, 
I  consider  myself  insulted  in  being  chosen  to 
make  a  public  representation  of  that  character. 
I  am  certainly  absolved  from  my  promise,  Mr. 
Holden  ;  and  I  beg  you  to  withdraw  my  nams 
from  your  list  at  once." 

Mr.  Holden  turned  the  leaf  on  the  offending 
picture.  He  was  amazed  and  grieved  ;  he  had 
looked  at  the  picture  purely  in  an  artistic  light ; 
he  supposed  all  people  looked  thus  at  tableau 
pictures ;  it  was  certainly  a  compliment  that  he 
meant  to  pay,  and  not  the  shadow  of  a  discour 
tesy ;  but  since  they  looked  at  it  in  that  singu- 


Prayer-Meeting  and  Tableaux.  131 

lar  manner,  of  course  it  should  be  withdrawn 
from  the  lists;  nothing  further  should  be  said 
about  it.  Let  him  show  them,  just  allow  him  to 
show  them,  one  plate  which  was  the  very  finest 
in  scenic  effect  of  anything  that  he  had  ever  got 
ten  up.  The  name  of  it  was  "  The  Ancient 
Feast." 

Eurie  turned  hotly  away,  but  Flossy  and  Ruth 
looked.  It  was  a  representation  of  Belshazzar* 
at  his  impious  feast,  at  the  time  when  he  was  ar 
rested  by  the  handwriting  on  the  wall.  Ruth 
Erskine  curled  her  handsome  lip  into  something 
like  a  sneer. 

"  Does  Col.  Baker  kindly  propose  to  aid  you 
in  representing  the  hand  of  God  ?  "  she  said,  in 
her  haughtiest  tones.  "  He  is  so  willing  to  lend 
himself  to  the  other  piece  of  sacrilege,  that  one 
can  hardly  expect  him  to  shrink  even  from  this." 

Mr.  Holden  promptly  closed  his  book. 

"  There  is  some  mistake,"  he  said.  "  1  sup 
posed  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  gathered  here 
came  in  for  the  purpose  of  helping,  not  for  ridi 
culing.  Of  course  if  we  differ  so  entirely  on 
these  topics  we  can  be  of  very  little  help  to  each 
other." 


132         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

"So  I  should  judge,"  Marion  said.  "And, 
that  being  the  case,  shall  we  go  ?  " 

"  What  nonsense  I  "  said  Leonard  Brooks,  fol 
lowing  after  the  retreating  party,  but  speaking 
only  in  a  low  tone,  and  addressing  Eurie.  "  One 
expects  such  lofty  humbug  from  Miss  Erskine, 
and  even  from  Miss  Wilbur  —  the  tragic  is  in 
her  line  ;  but  I  thought  you  would  enter  into 
and  enjoy  the  whole  thing.  I  told  Holden  that 
you  would  be  the  backbone  of  the  matter." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Eurie,  her  voice  half 
choked  with  indignation  and  wounded  pride. 
"  And  I  presume  you  assisted  in  the  selection  of 
the  characters  that  I  should  personate !  As  I 
said,  I  consider  myself  insulted.  Please  allow 
me  to  pass." 

Much  excited,  and  some  of  them  very  much 
ashamed,  they  all  found  themselves  on  the  street 
again,  Nellis  Mitchell  being  the  only  one  of  the 
astonished  gentlemen  who  had  bethought  him 
self,  or  had  had  sufficient  courage  to  join  them. 

"  Well,  what  next  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Nell,"  said  Eurie,  "  what  do  you  think  of 
that?" 

Nellis  shrugged  his  shoulders. 


Prayer-Meeting  and  Tableaux.          133 

"  It  is  not  according  to  my  way  of  thinking," 
he  said ;  "  but  they  told  nie  you  had  promised, 
and  I  thought  if  you  had,  with  your  eyes  open, 
it  was  none  of  my  business.  I  congratulate  you 
on  being  fairly  out  of  it.  That  Holden  is  a 
scamp,  I  believe." 

"  And  Col.  Baker  was  going  to  take  that  char 
acter,"  said  Flossy  to  herself.  And  Eurie,  in 
her  heart,  felt  grieved  and  hurt  that  her  friend 
of  long  standing,  Leonard  Brooks,  could  have 
said  and  done  just  what  he  had  ;  he  could  never 
be  to  her  as  though  he  had  not  said  and  done 
those  things.  As  for  Marion,  all  she  said  was : 

"  I  begin  to  have  a  clearer  idea  of  what  Grace 
Dennis  and  her  father  mean." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DR.  DENNIS'  STUDY. 

HEY  walked  on  in  absolute  silence  for  a 
few  minutes,  each  busy  with  her  own 
thoughts.  Eurie  was  the  first  to  speak : 

"  Girls,  I  propose  we  go  and  call  on  Dr.  Den 
nis." 

Ruth  and  Marion  uttered  exclamations  of  dis 
may,  or  it  might  have  been  of  surprise.  Flossy 
spoke : 

"  You  don't  mean  now  ?  " 

"  Now,  this  minute.  We  have  an  hour  at  our 
disposal,  and  we  are  all  together.  Why  not,  and 
have  it  over  with  ?  I  tell  you,  that  man  is  afraid 
of  us  I  And  when  you  come  to  think  of  i\  why 
should  he  not  be  ?  What  have  we  ever  d;  ne  to 
(134) 


Dr.  Dennis'  Study.  135 

help  his  work ;  and  how  much  we  may  have 
done  to  hinder  it !  I  never  realized  how  much, 
until  this  present  moment.  It  enrages  me  to 
think  how  many  enterprises,  like  this  one,  I  have 
been  engaged  in  without  giving  it  a  thought. 
Just  imagine  how  such  things  must  look  to  Dr. 
Dennis  I " 

"  But,  Eurie,  you  have  never  been  mixed  in 
with  anything  like  that  performance,  as  it  is  to 
be  I  What  do  you  mean  by  admitting  it  ?  "  It 
was  Ruth  who  spoke,  in  some  heat ;  the  associa 
tion  rankled  in  her  heart. 

"  Not  precisely  that  sort  of  thing,  I  admit ; 
but  what  must  be  the  reputation  I  have  earned, 
when  I  can  be  so  coolly  picked  out  for  such 
work  ?  I  tell  you,  girls,  I  am  angry.  I  suppose 
I  ought  to  be  grateful,  for  my  eyes  have  certainly 
been  opened  to  see  a  good  many  things  that  I 
never  saw  before ;  but  it  was  a  rough  opening. 
Shall  we  go  to  the  parsonage,  or  not  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear  !  I  don't  feel  in  the  least  like  it," 
Flossy  said,  timidly. 

"  Do  you  ever  expect  to  feel  like  it  ?  "  Eurie 
asked,  still  speaking  hotly.  "  For  myself,  I  must 
Bay  that  I  do.  I  am  tired  of  my  place  ;  I  want 


136        The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

to  be  admitted,  and  belong,  somewhere.  It  is 
entirely  evident  to  me  that  I  don't  belong  where 
I  did.  I  have  discovered  that  a  great  many 
things  about  me  are  changed.  I  feel  that  I  shall 
not  assimilate  well.  Let  me  get  in  where  I  can 
have  a  chance.  I  want  to  belong  to  that  Sun 
day-school,  for  instance ;  to  be  recognized  as  a 
part  of  it,  and  to  be  counted  in  a  place.  So  do 
you,  Flossy,  I  am  sure ;  why  not  settle  the  mat 
ter?" 

Yes,  Flossy  certainly  wanted  to  belong  to  that 
Sunday-school ;  more  than  that,  she  wanted  to 
belong  to  that  class.  Her  heart  had  been  with 
it  all  the  week.  If  there  was  a  hope  that  she 
might  be  permitted  to  try  it  for  awhile,  she  was 
willing  even  to  call  on  Dr.  Dennis,  though  that 
act  looked  awfully  formidable  to  her. 

**  I  suppose  it  is  very  silly  not  to  want  to  go 
this  evening,  as  well  as  any  time,"  she  admitted 
at  last. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  Marion  said,  energetically. 
"  Let  us  turn  this  corner  at  once,  and  in  two 
minutes  more  we  shall  have  rung  his  bell ;  then 
that  will  settle  the  question.  Nothing  like  go 
ing  ahead  and  doing  things,  without  waiting  to 
get  into  the  mood." 


Dr.  Dennis1  Study.  137 

"  See  here,"  said  Nellis  Mitchell,  speaking  for 
the  first  time.  "  Please  to  take  into  considera 
tion  what  you  propose  to  do  with  me  ?  I  take  it 
that  you  don't  want  me  to  make  this  call  with 
you.  My  sister  has  been  remarkably  bewilder 
ing  in  her  remarks,  but  I  gather  that  it  is  some 
thing  like  a  confidential  talk  that  you  are  seek 
ing  with  the  doctor,  into  which  I  am  not  to  be 
admitted." 

"  I  forgot  that  you  were  along,"  said  Eurie, 
with  her  usual  frankness.  "  No,  Nell,  we  don't 
want  you  to  call  with  us  ;  not  this  time." 

"  I  might  ask  for  a  separate  room,  and  make 
my  call  on  Miss  Grace.  At  least  I  might  try  it ; 
but  I  doubt  her  father's  permitting  such  a  tre 
mendous  action:  so,  really,  I  don't  see  quite 
what  you  are  to  do  with  me.  I  am  entirely  at 
your  disposal." 

"  See  here,  Nell,  couldn't  you  call  for  us,  in 
half  an  hour,  say  ?  Girls,  could  we  stay  half  an 
hour,  do  you  suppose?  We  shall  have  to  do 
something  of  the  kind  ;  it  won't  do  for  us  to  go 
home  alone.  I  see  what  we  can  do,  Nell.  You 
go  to  father's  office,  and  wait  just  a  little  while ; 
if  we  are  not  there  in  half  an  hour,  you  can  call 
for  us  at  Dr.  Dennis' ;  and  if  we  find  we  are  not 


138         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

equal  to  a  call  of  that  length,  we  will  come  to 
the  office  ;  will  that  do  ?  " 

The  obliging  brother  made  a  low  bow  of  mock 
ceremony,  assured  her  that  he  was  entirely  at 
her  service,  that  she  might  command  him  and  he 
would  serve  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and 
ability,  made  a  careful  minute  of  the  present 
time,  in  order  to  be  exact  at  the  half  hour,  and 
as  they  laughingly  declined  his  offer  to  ring  the 
doctor's  bell  for  them,  he  lifted  his  hat  to  them, 
with  the  lowest  of  bows,  and  disappeared  around 
the  corner. 

"  He  is  such  a  dear  fellow  !  "  said  Euiie,  look 
ing  fondly  after  him. 

"  I  don't  see  in  what  respect,"  muttered  Ruth 
in  an  aside  to  Flossy.  Ruth  had  a  special  aver 
sion  to  this  young  man ;  possibly  it  might  have, 
been  because  he  treated  her  with  the  most  good- 
humored  indifference,  despite  all  her  dignity  and 
coldness. 

Meantime,  in  Dr.  Dennis'  study,  his  daughter 
was  hovering  around  among  the  books,  trying 
to  bring  order  out  of  confusion  on  the  shelves 
and  table,  and  at  the  same  time  find  a  favorite 
volume  she  was  reading.  The  doctor  turned  on 


Dr.  Dennis1  Study.  139 

a  brighter  flaine  of  gas,  then  lowered  it,  and 
seemed  in  a  disturbed  state  of  mind.  At  last  he 
spoke : 

"I  don't  know  that  my  caution  is  needed, 
daughter  —  I  have  no  reason  to  think  that  it  is, 
from  anything  in  your  conduct  at  least;  but  I 
feel  like  saying  to  you  that  I  have  less  and  less 
liking  for  those  young  ladies,  who  seem,  since 
their  unfortunate  freak  of  attending  that  Chau- 
tauqua  meeting,  to  have  banded  themselves  to 
gether,  I  can  hardly  imagine  why ;  they  are  cer 
tainly  unlike  enough.  But  I  distrust  them  in 
almost  every  way.  I  am  sorry  that  you  are  at 
school,  under  Miss  Wilbur's  influence  ;  not  that 
I  dread  her  influence  on  you,  except  in  a  general 
way." 

At  this  point  Grace  opened  her  bright  lips 
to  speak ;  there  was  an  eager  sentence  glow 
ing  on  her  tongue,  but  her  father  had  not  fin 
ished  his : 

"  I  know  all  that  you  can  say ;  that  you 
have  nothing  to  do  with  her  religious,  or  non- 
religious,  views,  and  that  she  is  a  splendid 
teacher.  I  don't  doubt  it ;  but  I  repeat  to  you 
that  I  distrust  all  of  them.  I  don't  know  why 


140        The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

they  have  seen  fit  to  come  to  our  Sabbath-school, 
and  to  our  meeting  this  evening,  unless  it  be  to 
gain  an  unhappy  influence  over  some  whom  they 
desire  to  lead  astray.  I  can  hardly  think  so 
meanly  of  them  as  that,  either.  I  do  not  say 
that  such  was  their  motive,  but  simply  that  I  do 
not  understand  it,  and  am  afraid  of  it ;  and  I  de 
sire  you  to  have  just  as  little  to  do  with  any  of 
them  as  ordinary  civility  will  admit.  Hitherto  I 
have  thought  of  Ruth  Erskine  as  simply  a  leader 
of  fashion,  and  of  Flossy  Shipley  as  the  tool  of 
the  fashionable  world ;  but  I  am  afraid  their 
dangerous  friends  are  leading  them  to  be  more. 
The  tableau  affair,  to-night,  I  have  investigated 
to  a  certain  degree,  and  I  consider  it  one  of  the 
worst  of  its  kind.  I  would  not  have  you  associ 
ated  with  it  for  —  well,  any  consideration  that  I 
can  imagine  j  and  yet,  if  I  mistake  not,  I  heard 
them  urging  you  to  join  them." 

Again  Grace  essayed  to  speak,  but  the  pealing 
of  the  door  bell  interrupted  her. 

"  Who  is  it,  Hannah  ?  "  Dr.  Dennis  questioned, 
as  that  personage  peeped  her  head  in  at  the  door. 

"  It  is  four  young  ladies,  Dr.  Dennis,  and  they 
want  to  see  you." 


Dr.  Dennis'  Study.  141 

Grace  arose  to  depart. 

"  Do  you  know  any  of  them,  Hannah  ?  "  the 
doctor  asked. 

"  Well,  sir,  one  of  them  is  the  Miss  Wilbur 
who  teaches,  and  I  think  another  is  Dr.  Mitch 
ell's  daughter.  I  don't  know  the  others." 

"  Show  them  in  here,"  said  Dr.  Dennis, 
promptly.  "  And,  daughter,  you  will  please  re 
main.  They  have  doubtless  come  to  petition 
rne  for  your  assistance  in  the  tableaux,  and  I 
have  not  the  least  desire  to  be  considered  a 
household  tyrant,  or  to  have  them  suppose  that 
you  are  my  prisoner.  I  would  much  rather  that 
you  should  give  them  your  own  opinions  on  the 
subject  like  a  brave  little  woman." 

"  But  father,"  Grace  said,  and  there  was  a 
gleam  of  mischief  in  her  eye,  "  I  haven't  any 
opinions  on  this  subject.  The  most  that  I  can 
say  is,  that  you  don't  wish  me  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  them ;  and  so,  like  a  dutiful  daugh 
ter,  I  decline." 

"  Well,  then,"  he  said,  smiling  back  on  her  in 
a  satisfied  way,  "  show  them  how  gracefully  you 
can  play  the  part  of  a  dutiful  daughter.  While 
you  are  so  young,  and  while  I  am  here  to  have 


142         The  CTiautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

opinions  for  you,  the  dutiful  part  cheerfully  done 
is  really  all  that  is  necessary." 

And  this  was  the  introduction  that  the  four 
girls  had'  to  the  pastor's  study.  How  shy  they 
felt !  Ruth  could  hardly  ever  remember  of 
feeling  so  very  much  embarrassed.  As  for  Eurie, 
she  began  to  feel  that  distressing  sense  of  the  lu 
dicrous  creeping  over  her,  and  so  was  horribly 
afraid  that  she  should  laugh.  Marion  went  for 
ward  to  Grace,  and  in  the  warm,  glad  greeting 
that  this  young  girl  gave,  felt  her  heart  melted 
and  warmed. 

Dr.  Dennis,  confident  in  the  errand  that  had 
brought  them,  decided  to  lead  the  conversation 
himself,  and  give  them  no  chance  to  approach 
the  topic  smoothly. 

"  Have  you  done  up  the  tableaux  so  prompt 
ly  ? "  he  asked.  And  while  he  addressed  hia 
question  to  Marion,  Eurie  felt  that  he  looked 
right  at  her. 

Marion's  answer  was  prompt  and  to  the  point. 

"  Yes,  sir,  we  have.  Miss  Mitchell  was  the 
only  one  of  us  who  was  pledged  ;  and  I  believe 
she  was  entirely  dissatisfied  with  the  character 
of  the  entertainment,  and  withdrew  her  sup 
port." 


Dr.  Dennis1  &'tudi/.  1-13 

"  Indeed  I  "  Dr.  Dennis'  manner  of  pronounc 
ing  this  word  was,  in  effect,  saying,  "  Is  it  possi 
ble  that  there  can  be  an  entertainment  of  so 
questionable  a  character  that  Miss  Mitchell  will 
withdraw  from  tt  ?  " 

At  least  that  was  the  way  the  word  sounded 
to  Eurie,  but  she  had  been  roused  to  unusual 
sensitiveness.  The  effect  was  to  rouse  her  still 
further,  to  put  to  flight  every  trace  of  embar 
rassment  and  every  desire  to  laugh.  She  spoke 
in  a  clear,  strong  voice  : 

"  Dr.  Dennis,  we  shall  be  talking  at  cross  pur 
poses  if  we  do  not  make  some  explanation  of  out 
object  in  calling  this  evening.  We  feel  that  we 
do  not  belong  in  the  society  where  you  are  class 
ing  us ;  in  fact,  we  do  not  belong  anywhere. 
Our  views  and  feelings  have  greatly  changed 
within  a  short  time.  We  want  to  make  a  corre 
sponding  change  in  our  associations  ;  at  least,  so 
far  as  is  desirable.  Our  special  object  in  calling 
just  now  is,  that  we  know  it  will  soon  be  time 
for  the  communion  in  your  church,  and  we  have 
thought  that  perhaps  we  ought  to  make  a  public 
profession  of  our  changed  views." 

Was  ever  a  man  more  bent  on  misunderstand 
ing  plain  English  than  was  Dr.  Dennis  this  even- 


144         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

ing  ?  He  looked  at  his  callers  iii  an  astonished 
and  embarrassed  way  for  a  moment,  as  if  uncer 
tain  whether  to  consider  them  lunatics  or  not ; 
and  then  said,  addressing  himself  to  Eurie : 

"  My  dear  young  lady,  I  fear  you  are  laboring 
under  a  mistake  as  to  the  object  in  uniting  with 
the  Church  of  Christ,  and  the  preparation  nec 
essary.  You  know,  as  a  church,  we  hold  that 
something  more  than  a  desire  to  change  one's 
social  relations  should  actuate  the  person  to  take 
such  a  step ;  that,  indeed,  there  should  be  a  rad 
ical  change  of  heart." 

Poor  Eurie !  She  thought  she  had  been  so 
plain  in  her  explanation.  She  flushed,  and  com 
menced  a  stammering  sentence  ;  then  paused, 
and  looked  appealingly  at  Ruth  and  Marion. 

Finally  she  did  what,  for  Eurie  Mitchell  to  do, 
was  unprecedented,  lost  all  self-control,  and 
broke  into  a  sudden  and  passionate  gust  of  tears. 

"  Eurie,  don't !  "  Marion  said ;  to  her  it  was 
actual  pain  to  see  tears.  As  for  Dr.  Dennis,  he 
was  very  much  at  his  wits'  end,  and  Ruth's  em 
barrassment  grew  upon  her  every  moment. 
Flossy  came  to  the  rescue. 

"  Dr.  Dennis,"  she  said,  and  he  noticed  even 


Dr.  Dennis*  Study.  145 

then  that  her  voice  was  strangely  sweet  and  win 
ning,  "  Eurie  means  that  we  love  Jesus,  and  we 
believe  he  has  forgiven  us  and  called  us  by  name. 
We  mean  we  want  to  be  his,  and  to  serve  him 
forever;  and  we  want  to  acknowledge  him  pub 
licly,  because  we  think  he  has  so  directed." 

How  simple  and  sweet  the  story  was,  after  all, 
when  one  just  gave  up  attempting  to  be  proper, 
and  gave  the  quiet  truth.  Ruth  was  struck 
with  the  simplicity  and  the  directness  of  the 
words ;  she  began  to  have  not  only  an  admira 
tion,  but  an  unfeigned  respect  for  Flossy  Shipley. 
But  you  should  have  seen  Dr.  Dennis'  face.  It 
is  a  pity  Eurie  could  not  have  seen  it  at  that 
moment ;  if  she  had  not  had  hers  buried  in  the 
sofa  pillow  she  would  have  caught  the  quick 
glad  look  of  surprise  and  joy  and  heartfelt  thank 
fulness  that  spoke  in  his  eyes.  He  arose  sud 
denly,  and,  holding  out  his  hand  to  Flossy,  said : 

"Let  me  greet  you,  and  thank  you,  and  ask 
you  to  forgive  me,  in  the  same  breath.  I  have 
been  very  slow  to  understand,  and  strangely 
stupid  and  unsympathetic.  I  feel  very  much  as 
I  fancy  poor  doubting  Thomas  must  Ivave  done. 
Forgive  me ;  I  am  so  astonished,  and  so  glad, 


146         The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

that  I  don't  know  how  to  express  the  feeling. 
Do  you  speak  for  all  your  friends  here,  Miss 
Flossy  ?  And  may  I  ask  something  about  the 
wonderful  experience  that  has  drawn  you  all 
into  the  ark  ?  " 

But  Flossy's  courage  had  forsaken  her  ;  it  was 
born  of  sympathy  with  Eurie's  tears.  She 
looked  down  now,  tearful  herself,  and  trembling 
like  a  leaf.  Ruth  found  voice  to  answer  for  her. 

"  Our  experience,  Dr.  Dennis,  can  be  summed 
up  in  one  word  —  Chautauqua." 

Dr.  Dennis  gave  a  little  start ;  another  aston 
ishment. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  were  converted  dur 
ing  that  meeting  ?  " 

Marion  smiled. 

"  We  do  not  know  enough  about  terms,  to 
really  be  sure  that  that  is  the  right  one  to  use," 
she  said  j  at  least,  I  do  not.  But  we  do  know 
this,  that  we  met  the  Lord  Jesus  there,  and  that, 
as  Flossy  says,  we  love  him,  and  have  given  our 
lives  into  his  keeping." 

"  You  cannot  say  more  than  that  after  a  hun 
dred  years  of  experience,"  he  said,  quickly. 

"  Well,  dear  friends,  I  cannot,  as  I  said,  ex- 


Dr.  Dennis1  Study.  147 

press  to  you  my  gratitude  and  joy.  And  you 
are  coining  into  the  church,  and  are  ready  to  take 
up  work  for  the  Master,  and  live  for  him  ? 
Thank  the  Lord." 

Little  need  had  our  girls  to  talk  of  Dr.  Dennis* 
coldness  and  dignity  after  that.  How  entirely 
his  heart  had  melted  I  What  a  blessed  talk  they 
had  I  So  many  questions  about  Chautauqua,  so 
much  to  tell  that  delighted  him.  They  had  not 
the  least  idea  that  it  was  possible  to  feel  so  much 
at  ease  with  a  minister  as  they  grew  to  feel  with 
him. 

The  bell  rang  and  was  answered,  and  yet  no 
one  intruded  on  their  quiet,  and  the  talk  went 
on,  until  Marion,  with  a  sudden  recollection  of 
Nellis  Mitchell,  and  their  appointment  with  him, 
stole  a  glance  at  her  watch,  and  was  astonished 
into  the  announcement : 

"  Girls,  we  have  been  here  an  hour  and  a 
quarter  I " 

"  Is  it  possible  1 "  Ruth  said,  rising  at  once. 
"  Father  will  be  alarmed,  I  am  afraid." 

Dr.  Dennis  rose  also. 

"  I  did  not  know  I  was  keeping  you  so,"  he 
said.  "  Our  theme  was  a  fascinating  one.  Will 


148         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

you  wait  a  moment,  and  let  me  make  ready  to 
see  you  safely  home  ?  " 

But  it  appeared,  on  opening  the  door,  that 
Nellis  Mitchell  occupied  an  easy-chair  in  the 
parlor,  just  across  the  hall. 

"  I'm  a  patient  young  man,  and  at  your  ser 
vice,"  he  said,  coining  toward  them  as  they 
emerged.  "  Please  give  me  credit  for  prompt 
ness.  I  was  here  at  the  half  hour." 

As  they  walked  home,  Nellis  with  his  sister 
on  one  arm,  and  Flossy  Shipley  on  the  other,  he 
said: 

"  Now,  what  am  I  to  understand  by  this  sud 
den  and  violent  intimacy  at  the  parsonage? 
Miss  Flossy,  my  sister  has  hitherto  made  yearly 
calls  of  two  seconds'  duration  on  the  doctor's 
sister  when  she  is  not  home  to  receive  them." 

"  A  great  many  things  are  to  be  different  from 
what  they  have  hitherto  been,"  Flossy  said,  with 
a  softly  little  laugh. 

"  So  I  begin  to  perceive." 

"  Nell,"  said  Eurie,  turning  back  when  she 
was  half  way  up  the  stairs,  having  said  good 
night,  "  are  you  going  to  help  them  with  those 
tableaux  ?  " 


Dr.  Dennis*  Study. 


149 


"  Not  much,"  said  Nellis. 

And  Eurie,  as  she  went  on,  said: 

"  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  Nell  felt  differ 
ently  about  some  things  from  what  he  used  to. 
Oh,  I  wonder  if  I  can't  coax  him  in  ?  " 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  WHITE  SUNDAY. 

* 

LMONG  other  topics  that  were  discussed 
with  great  interest  during  that  call  at 
Dr.  Dennis'  was  the  Sunday-school,  and  the  place 
that  our  girls  were  to  take  in  it,  Flossy  was  not 
likely  to  forget  that  matter.  Her  heart  was  too 
full  of  plans  concerning  "  those  boys." 

Early  in  the  talk  she  overwhelmed  and  em 
barrassed  Dr.  Dennis  with  the  request  that  she 
might  be  allowed  to  try  that  class.  Now  if  it 
had  been  Ruth  or  Marion  who  had  made  the 
same  request,  it  would  have  been  unhesitatingly 
granted.  The  doctor  had  a  high  opinion  of  the 
intellectual  abilities  of  both  these  young  ladies, 
(160) 


A.  White  Sunday.  151 

and  now  that  they  had  appeared  to  conse 
crate  those  abilities,  he  was  willing  to  receive 
them. 

But  this  little  summer  butterfly,  with  her 
Bmall  sweet  ways  and  winning  smile  I  He  had 
no  more  idea  that  she  could  teach  than  that  a 
humming-bird  could ;  and  of  all  classes  in  the 
school,  to  expect  to  do  anything  with  those  large 
wild  boys  I  It  was  preposterous. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  he  said,  and  he  could  hardly 
keep  from  smiling,  even  though  he  was  embar 
rassed,  "  you  have  no  idea  what  3rou  are  asking  I 
That  is  altogether  the  most  difficult  class  in  the 
school.  Some  of  our  best  teachers  have  failed 
there.  The  fact  is,  those  boys  don't  want  to  be 
instructed  ;  they  are  in  search  of  fun.  They  are 
a  hard  set,  I  am  really  afraid.  I  wouldn't  have 
you  tried  and  discouraged  by  them.  We  are  at 
a  loss  what  to  do  with  them,  I  will  admit ;  for 
no  one  who  can  do  it  seems  willing  to  try  them. 
In  fact,  I  am  not  sure  that  we  have  any  one  who 
can.  I  understand  your  motive,  Miss  Flossy,  and 
appreciate  your  zeal ;  but  you  must  not  crush 
yourself  in  that  way.  Since  you  have  been  out 
of  the  Sunday-school  for  BO  many  years,  and,  I 


152         TJie  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

presume,  have  not  made  the  Bible  a  study  —  un 
happily,  it  is  not  used  as  a  text  book  in  many  of 
our  schools  —  would  it  not  be  well  for  you  to 
join  some  excellent  Bible-class  for  awhile?  I 
think  you  would  like  it  better,  and  grow  faster, 
and  we  really  have  some  superior  teachers  among 
the  Bible-classes." 

And  while  he  said  this,  the  wise  doctor  hoped 
in  his  heart  that  she  would  not  be  offended  with 
his  plain  speaking,  and  that  some  good  angel 
would  suggest  to  Marion  Wilbur  the  propriety 
of  trying  that  class  of  boys. 

Flossy  was  not  offended,  though  Marion  Wil 
bur,  spoken  to  in  the  same  way,  would  have  been 
certain  to  have  felt  it.  Little  Flossy,  though 
sorely  disappointed,  so  much  so  that  she  could 
hardly  keep  the  tears  from  rising,  admitted  that 
she  did  not  know  how  to  teach,  and  that,  of 
course,  she  ought  to  study  the  Bible,  and  would 
like  ever  so  much  to  do  so. 

It  so  happened  that  the  other  girls  were  more 
than  willing  to  be  enrolled  as  pupils;  indeed, 
had  not  an  idea  of  taking  any  other  position. 
So,  after  A  little  more  talk,  it  was  decided  that 
they  all  join  Dr.  Dennis'  class,  every  one  of  them 


A  White  Sunday.  153 

expressing  a  prompt  preference  for  that  class 
above  the  others.  In  his  heart  Dr.  Dennis  en 
tirely  approved  of  this  arrangement,  for  he 
wanted  the  training  of  Flossy  and  Eurie,  and  he 
meant  to  make  teachers  of  the  other  two  as  soon 
as  possible. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  an  unlooked-for  ele 
ment  came  into  all  this  planning  —  none  other 
than  the  boys  themselves.  They  had  ideas  of 
their  own,  and  they  belonged  to  that  part  of  the 
world  which  is  hard  to  govern.  They  would 
have  Miss  Flossy  Shipley  to  be  their  teacher, 
and  they  would  have  no  one  else ;  she  suited 
them  exactly,  and  no  one  else  did. 

"  But,  my  dear  boys,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  "  Miss 
Shipley  is  new  to  the  work  of  teaching  j  she  is 
but  a  learner  herself ;  she  feels  that  her  place  is 
in  the  Bible-class,  so  that  she  may  acquire  the 
best  ways  of  presenting  lessons." 

"  Did  she  say  she  wouldn't  teach  us  ?  "  queried 
Rich.  Johnson,  with  his  keen  eyes  fixed  on  the 
doctor's  face. 

What  could  that  embarrassed  but  truthful 
man  do  but  slowly  shake  his  head,  and  say,  hesi 
tatingly  : 


154         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

"  No,  she  didn't  say  that ;  but  I  advised  her  to 
join  a  Bible-class  for  awhile." 

"  Then  we  want  her,"  Rich,  said,  stoutly. 
"  Don't  we,  boys  ?  She  just  suits  us,  Dr.  Den 
nis  j  and  she  is  the  first  one  we  ever  had  that  we 
cared  a  snap  for.  We  had  just  about  made 
up  our  minds  to  quit  it ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
if  we  can  have  her  we  will  give  it  another 
trial." 

This  strange  sentence  was  uttered  in  a  most 
matter-of-fact  business  way,  and  the  perplexed 
doctor,  quite  unused  to  dealing  with  that  class 
of  brain  and  manners,  was  compelled  to  beat  a 
retreat,  and  come  to  Flossy  with  his  novel  re 
port.  A  gleam  of  satisfaction,  not  to  say  triumph, 
lighted  up  her  pretty  face,  and  aglow  with  smiles 
and  blushes,  she  made  her  way  with  alacrity  to 
her  chosen  class.  Teachers  and  scholars  thor 
oughly  suited  with  each  other  ;  surely  they 
could  do  some  work  during  that  hour  that  would 
tell  on  the  future.  Meantime,  the  superinten 
dent  was  having  his  perplexities  over  in  another 
corner  of  the  room.  He  came  to  Dr.  Dennis  at 
last  for  advice. 

"  Miss  Hart  is  absent  to-day ;  her  class  is  al- 


A   White  Sunday.  155 

most  impossible  to  supply  ;  no  one  is  willing  to 
try  the  little  midgets." 

"  Miss  Hart,"  Dr.  Dennis  repeated,  thought 
fully  ;  "  the  primary  class,  eh  ;  it  is  hard  to 
manage ;  and  yet,  with  all  the  sub-teachers  pres 
ent,  one  would  think  it  might  be  done." 

"  They  are  not  all  present,"  Mr.  Stuart  said. 
**  They  never  are." 

Dr.  Dennis  ignored  this  remark. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  to  do,"  he  said,  with  a  sud 
den  lighting  up  of  his  thoughtful  face.  "  Get 
Miss  Wilbur  to  go  in  there  ;  she  is  equal  to  the 
emergency,  or  I  am  much  mistaken." 

Mr.  Stuart  started  in  unqualified  astonish 
ment. 

"I  thought,"  he  said,  recovering  his  voice, 
"  that  you  seriously  objected  to  her  as  a  teacher 
in  Sabbath-school  ?  " 

"  I  have  changed  my  mind,"  Dr.  Dennis  said, 
with  a  happy  smile,  "  or,  the  Lord  has  changed 
her  heart.  Ask  her  to  take  the  class." 

So  two  of  our  girls  found  work. 

Another  thing  occurred  to  make  that  Sabbath 
u  memorable  one.  The  evening  wis  especially 
lovely,  and,  there  happening  to  be  no  other  at- 


156         The  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Home. 

traction,  a  much  larger  number  than  usual  of  the 
First  Church  people  got  out  to  the  second  ser 
vice.  Our  girls  were  all  present,  and,  what  was 
unusual,  other  representatives  from  their  fami 
lies  were  with  them. 

Also,  Col.  Baker  had  obliged  himself  to  endure 
the  infliction  of  another  sermon  from  Dr.  Dennis, 
in  order  that  he  might  have  the  pleasure  of  a 
walk  home  in  the  glorious  moonlight  with  Miss 
Flossy. 

The  sermon  was  one  of  special  solemnity  and 
power.  The  pastor's  recent  communion  with 
new-born  souls  had  quickened  his  own  heart 
and  increased  the  longing  desire  for  the  coming 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  into  their  midst.  At  the 
sermon's  close,  he  took  what,  for  the  First 
Church,  was  a  very  wide  and  startling  departure 
from  the  beaten  track.  After  a  tender  personal 
appeal,  especially  addressed  to  the  young  people 
of  his  flock,  he  said  : 

"Now,  impelled  by  what  I  cannot  but  feel  is 
the  voice  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  by  his  Spirit,  I  want 
to  ask  if  there  are  any  present  who  feel  so  much 
of  a  desire  to  be  numbered  with  the  Lord's 
friends,  that  they  are  willing  to  ask  us  to  pray 


A  White  Sunday.  lo? 

for  them,  to  the  end  that  they  may  be  found  of 
him.  Is  there  one  in  this  audience  who,  by  ris 
ing  and  standing  for  but  a  moment,  will  thus 
simply  and  quietly  indicate  to  us  such  a  desire 
and  willingness  ?  " 

Who  ever  heard  of  the  First  Church  pastor 
doing  so  strange  a  thing  ?  His  people  had  voted 
for  festivals,  and  concerts,  and  lectures,  and  pic 
nics,  and  entertainments  of  all  sorts  and  shades. 
They  had  taken  rising  votes,  and  they  had  voted 
by  raising  the  hand ;  they  had  made  speeches, 
many  of  them,  on  the  questions  to  be  presented  ; 
they  had  added  their  voice  to  the  pastor's  explana 
tions  ;  they  had  urged  the  wisdom  and  the  propri 
ety  of  the  question  presented ;  they  had  said  they 
earnestly  hoped  the  matter  would  meet  careful 
attention ;  and  no  one  in  the  church  had  thought 
such  proceedings  strange.  But  to  ask  people  to 
rise  in  their  seats,  and  thus  signify  that  they 
were  thinking  of  the  question  of  eternal  life,  and 
home,  and  peace,  and  unutterable  blessedness  — 
what  innovation  was  this  ? 

Much  rustling  and  coughing  took  place  ;  then 
solemn  silence  prevailed.  Not  a  deacon  there, 
or  officer  of  any  sort,  had  the  least  idea  of  audi« 


158         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

bly  hoping  that  the  pastor's  words  would  receive 
thoughtful  attention  ;  not  a  person  arose ;  the 
silence  was  felt  to  be  embarrassing  and  oppres 
sive  to  the  last  degree. 

Dr.  Dennis  relieved  them  at  last  by  reading 
the  closing  Irvmn.  During  the  reading,  when 
rtartled  thoughts  became  sufficiently  composed 
to  flow  in  their  accustomed  channels,  many,  al 
most  unconsciously  to  themselves,  prepared 
speeches  which  they  meant  to  utter  the  moment 
their  lips  were  unsealed  by  the  pronouncing  of 
the  benediction. 

"  A  very  strange  thing  to  do." 

"  What  could  Dr.  Dennis  be  thinking  of?  " 

"  A  most  unwise  effort  to  force  the  private 
lives  of  people  before  the  public." 

"  An  unfortunate  attempt  to  get  up  an  excite 
ment." 

"  Well  meant,  but  most  ill-timed  and  mistaken 
zeal,  which  would  have  a  reaction  that  would  do 
harm." 

These  and  a  dozen  other  mental  comments 
that  roved  through  people's  brains,  while  they 
were  supposed  to  be  joining  in  the  hymn  of 
praise,  were  suddenly  cut  short  by  the  sound  of 


A   White  Sunday,  159 

Dr.  Dennis'  voice  again  —  not  in  benediction,  as 
surely  they  bad  a  right  to  expect  by  this  time, 
but  with  another  appeal. 

"  I  am  still  of  the  impression  that  there  are 
those  present  who  are  doing  violence  to  their 
convictions  of  right,  and  to  good  judgment,  by 
not  responding  to  my  invitation.  Let  us  remem 
ber  to  pray  for  all  such.  Now,  I  want  to  ask  if 
there  are  any  in  this  congregation  who  have 
lately  proved  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  that  there 
is  a  Saviour  from  sin,  and  a  peace  that  the  world 
cannot  give.  If  there  are  those  present,  who 
have  decided  this  question  recently,  will  they 
rise  for  a  moment,  thus  testifying  to  the  truth  of 
the  words  which  have  been  spoken  this  evening, 
and  thus  witnessing  that  they  have  chosen  the 
Lord  Jesus  for  their  portion  ?  " 

Another  sensation  I  Dr.  Dennis  must  have 
taken  leave  of  his  senses  I  This  was  more  em 
barrassing  than  the  last.  The  wise  ones  were 
sure  that  there  had  been  no  conversions  in  a  long 
time.  So  far  as  they  knew  and  believed,  en 
tirely  other  thoughts  were  occupying  the  minda 
of  the  people. 

Then,  into  the  midst  of  this  commotion  ol 


160         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

thought,  there  stole  that  solemn  hush,  almost  of 
heart-beatings,  which  betokens  a  new  revelation, 
that  astonishes  and  thrills  and  solemnizes. 

There  were  persons  standing.  Ladies !  One 
—  two  —  three.  Yes,  one  in  the  gallery.  There 
were  four  of  them  1  Who  were  they  ?  Why, 
that  little,  volatile  Flossy  Shipley  was  one ! 
How  strange  1  And  that  girl  in  the  gallery 
was  the  teacher  at  one  of  the  Ward  schools.  It 
had  been  rumored  that  she  was  an  infidel ! 

Who  in  the  world  was  that  beside  Judge  Ers- 
kine  ?  It  couldn't  be  his  daughter  !  Yet  it  cer 
tainly  was.  And  behold,  in  the  doctor's  pew 
stood  Eurie,  the  young  lady  who  was  so  free  and 
careless  in  her  manners  and  address,  that,  were 
it  not  for  the  fact  that  she  was  the  doctor'a 
daughter,  her  very  respectability  would  have 
sto«Kl  a  chance  of  being  questioned  1 

As  it  was,  there  were  mothers  in  the  church 
who  were  quite  willing  that  their  daughters 
should  have  as  little  to  do  with  her  as  possible. 
Yet,  to-night  their  daughters  sat  beside  them, 
unable  to  rise,  in  any  way  to  testify  to  the  truth 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  Eurie  Mitch 
ell,  with  grave,  earnest  face,  in  which  decision 


A  White  Sunday.  161 

and  determination  were  plainly  written,  stood 
up  to  testify  that  the  Lord  was  true  to  his  prom 
ises. 

Gradually  there  dawned  upon  the  minds  of 
many  who  knew  these  girls,  the  remembrance 
that  they  had  been  together  to  that  great  Sun 
day-school  meeting  at  Chautauqua.  How  fool 
ish  the  scheme  had  seemed  to  them  when  they 
heard  of  it ;  how  sneeringly  they  had  commented 
on  the  absurdity  of  such  supposed  representa 
tives  from  the  Sunday-school  world. 

Surely  this  seeming  folly  had  been  the  power 
of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God.  There  were 
those  in  the  first  church,  as,  indeed,  there  are 
many  in  every  church  of  Christ,  who  rejoiced 
with  all  their  souls  at  the  sound  of  this  good 
news. 

There  was  another  thing  that  occurred  that 
night  over  which  the  angels,  at  least,  rejoiced. 
There  was  another  witness.  He  was  only  a  poor 
young  fellow,  a  day  laborer  in  one  of  the  ma 
chine  shops,  a  new-comer  to  the  city.  He  knew 
almost  nobody  in  that  great  church  where  he 
had  chanced  to  be  a  worshipper,  and,  literally. 
no  one  knew  him. 


162         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

When  the  invitation  was  first  given,  he  had 
shrunken  from  it.  Satan,  with  ever-ready  skill, 
and  with  that  consummate  wisdom  which  makes 
him  as  eager  after  the  common  day  laborers  as 
he  is  among  the  wealthy  and  influential,  had 
whispered  to  him  that  the  pastor  did  not  mean 
such  as  he  ;  no  one  knew  him,  his  influence 
would  be  nothing.  This  church  was  too  large 
and  too  grand,  and  it  was  not  meant  that  he 
should  make  himself  so  conspicuous  as  to  stand 
alone  in  that  great  audience-room,  and  testify 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  hud  called  him. 

So  he  sat  still;  but  as  one  and  another  of 
those  young  ladies  arose  quietly,  with  true  dig 
nity  and  sweet  composure  testifying  to  their 
love  for  the  Lord,  John  Warden's  earnest  soul 
was  moved  to  shame  at  his  own  shrinking,  and 
from  his  obscure  seat,  back  under  the  galleiy,  he 
rose  up,  and  Satan,  foiled  that  time,  shrunk 
away. 

As  for  our  girls,  they  held  no  parley  with  their 
consciences,  or  with  the  tempter;  they  did  not 
even  think  of  it.  On  the  contrary,  they  were 
glad,  every  one,  that  the  way  was  made  so  plain 
and  so  easy  to  them.  Each  of  them  had  friends 
whom  they  especially  desired  to  havs  know  of 


A  White  Sunday.  163 

the  recent  and  great  change  that  had  come  to 
their  lives.  With  some  of  these  friends  they 
shrank  unaccountably  from  talking  about  this 
matter.  With  others  of  them  they  did  not  un 
derstand  how  to  made  the  matter  plain. 

But  here  it  was  explained  for  them,  so  plainly, 
so  simply,  that  it  seemed  that  every  one  must 
understand,  and  their  own  future  determination 
as  to  life  was  carefully  explained  for  them. 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  rise  up,  and,  by 
that  simple  act,  subscribe  their  names  to  the  ex 
planation  —  so  making  it  theirs. 

I  declare  to  you  that  the  thought  of  its  being 
a  cross  to  do  so  did  not  once  occur  to  them. 
Neither  did  the  thought  that  they  were  occupy 
ing  a  conspicuous  position  affect  them.  They 
were  used  to  conspicuous  positions ;  they  had 
been  twice  as  prominent  in  that  very  church 
when  other  subjects  than  religion  had  been  un 
der  consideration. 

AC  a  certain  festival,  years  before,  they  had 
ever}  one  taken  part  in  a  musical  entertainment 
that  b>  ")ught  them  most  conspicuously  before  an 
audieru  *>  three  times  the  size  of  the  evening  con 
gregation.  So  you  see  they  were  used  to  it. 

And,  as  for  the  fancy  that  it  becomes  a  more 


164         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  .Home. 

conspicuous  and  unladylike  matter  to  stand  up 
for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  than  it  does  to  stand 
up  for  anything  else  under  the  sun ;  Satan  was 
much  too  wise,  and  knew  his  material  entirely 
too  well,  to  suggest  any  such  absurdity  to 
them. 

Flossy  had  been  the  only  one  of  their  number 
in  the  least  likely  to  be  swayed  by  such  argu 
ments.  But  Flossy  had  set  herself  with  earnest 
soul  and  solemn  purpose  to  follow  the  light 
wherever  it  should  shine,  without  allowing  her 
timid  heart  time  for  questioning,  and  the  father 
of  all  evil  finds  such  people  exceedingly  hard  to 
manage. 

"  How  do  you  do,"  said  Dr.  Dennis  to  John 
Warden,  two  minutes  after  the  benediction  was 
fully  pronounced.  "  I  was  very  glad  to  see  you. 
to-night.  I  am  not  sure  that  I  have  ever  met 
you  ?  No  ?  I  thought  so  ;  a  stranger  ?  Well, 
we  welcome  you.  Where  do  you  board  ?  " 

And  a  certain  black  book  came  promptly  out 
of  the  doctor's  pocket.  John  Warden's  name, 
and  street,  and  number,  and  business  were  writ 
ten  therein,  and  John  Warden  felt  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  as  though  he  had  a  Christian 


A  White  Sunday.  165 

brother  in  that  great  city,  and  a  name  and  a 
place  with  the  people  of  God. 

Another  surprise  awaited  him.  Marion  and 
Eurie  were  right  behind  him.  Marion  came  up 
boldly  and  held  out  her  hand  : 

"  We  seem  to  have  started  on  the  road  to 
gether,"  she  said.  "  We  ought  to  shake  hands, 
and  wish  each  other  a  safe  journey." 

Then  she  and  Eurie  and  John  Warden  shook 
each  other  heartily  by  the  hand ;  and  Flossy, 
standing  watching,  led  by  this  bolder  spirit  into 
that  which  would  not  have  occurred  to  her  to 
do,  slipped  from  her  place  beside  Col.  Baker, 
and,  holding  her  lavender  kidded  little  hand  out 
to  his  broad  brown  palm,  said,  with  a  grace  and  a 
sweetness  that  belonged  to  neither  of  the  others : 
"  I  am  one  of  them."  Whereupon  John  War 
den  was  not  sure  that  he  had  not  shaken  hands 
with  an  angel. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   RAINY  EVENING. 

COOL,  rainy  evening,  one  of  those  sud 
den  and  sharp  reminders  of  autumn  thai 
in  our  variable  climate  come  to  us  in  the  midst 
of  summer.  The  heavy  clouds  had  made  the 
day  shut  down  early,  and  the  rain  was  so  persist 
ent  that  it  was  useless  to  plan  walks  or  rides,  or 
entertainments  of  that  nature.  Also  it  was  an 
evening  when  none  but  those  who  are  habitual 
callers  at  special  homes  are  expected. 

One  of  these  was  Col.  Baker.     The  idea  of 
being  detained  by  rain  from  spending  the  even 
ing  with  Flossy  Shipley  did  not  occur  to  him ; 
(166) 


The  Rainy  Evening.  167 

on  the  contrary,  he  rejoiced  over  the  prospect  of 
a  long  and  uninterrupted  talk.  The  more  in 
different  Flossy  grew  to  these  long  talks  the 
more  eager  was  Col.  Baker  to  enjoy  them.  The 
further  she  slipped  away  from  him,  the  more 
eagerly  he  followed  after.  Perhaps  that  is  hu 
man  nature ;  at  least  it  was  Col.  Baker's  na 
ture. 

In  some  of  his  plans  he  was  disappointed. 
Mrs.  Shipley  was  gone  for  a  three  days'  visit  to 
a  neighboring  city,  and  Flossy  was  snugly  set 
tled  in  the  back  parlor  entertaining  her  father. 

"  Show  him  right  in  here,"  directed  her  father, 
as  soon  as  Col.  Baker  was  announced.  Then  to 
Flossy  :  "  Now  we  can  have  a  game  at  cards  as 
soon  as  Charlie  comes  in.  Where  is  he  ?  " 

Rainy  evenings,  when  four  people  could  be 
secured  sufficiently  disengaged  to  join  in  his  fa 
vorite  amusement,  was  the  special  delight  of  Mr. 
Shipley.  So  behold  them,  half  an  hour  after, 
deep  in  a  game  of  cards,  Col.  Baker  accepting 
the  situation  with  as  good  a  grace  as  he  could 
assume,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  playing 
cards,  simply  for  amusement,  in  that  quiet  way 
in  a  back  parlor,  was  a  good  deal  of  a  bore  to 


168         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

him ;  but  it  would  be  bad  policy  to  tell  Mr. 
Shipley  so.  Their  game  was  interrupted  by  a 
ring  of  the  door-bell. 

"  Oh,  dear  I  "  said  Mr.  Shipley,  "  I  hope  that 
is  no  nuisance  on  business.  One  would  think 
nothing  but  business  would  call  people  out  on 
such  a  disagreeable  night." 

"  As,  for  instance,  myself,"  Col.  Baker  said, 
laughingly. 

"  Oh,  you.  Of  course,  special  friends  are  an 
exception." 

And  Col.  Baker  was  well  pleased  to  be  ranked 
among  the  exceptions.  Meantime  the  ringer 
was  heralded. 

"  It  is  Dr.  Dennis,  sir.  Shall  I  show  him  in 
here?" 

"  I  suppose  so,"  Mr.  Shipley  said,  gloomily,  as 
one  not  well  pleased ;  and  he  added,  in  under 
tone,  "  What  on  earth  can  the  man  want  ?  " 

Meantime  Col.  Baker,  with  a  sudden  dexter 
ous  move,  unceremoniously  swept  the  whole 
pack  of  cards  out  of  sight  under  a  paper  by  his 
Bide. 

It  so  happened  that  Dr.  Dennis'  call  was 
purely  one  of  business ;  some  item  connected 


The  Rainy  Evening.  169 

with  the  financial  portion  of  the  church,  which 
Dr.  Dennis  desired  to  report  in  a  special  sermon 
that  was  being  prepared. 

Mr.  Shipley,  although  he  was  so  rarely  an  at 
tendant  at  church,  and  made  no  secret  of  his 
indifference  to  the  whole  subject  of  personal  re 
ligion,  was  yet  a  power  in  the  financial  world, 
and  as  such  recognized  and  deferred  to  by  the 
First  Church. 

Dr.  Dennis  was  in  haste,  and  beyond  a  spec 
ially  cordial  greeting  for  Flossy,  and  an  expres 
sion  of  satisfaction  at  her  success  with  the  class 
the  previous  Sabbath,  he  had  no  more  to  say, 
and  Mr.  Shipley  soon  had  the  pleasure  of  bow 
ing  him  out,  rejoicing  in  his  heart,  as  he  did  so, 
that  the  clergyman  was  so  prompt  a  man. 

"  He  would  have  made  a  capital  business 
man,"  he  said,  returning  to  his  seat.  "  I  never 
come  in  contact  with  him  that  I  don't  notice  a 
sort  of  executive  ability  about  him  that  makes 
me  think  what  a  success  he  might  have  been." 

There  was  no  one  to  ask  whether  that  remark 
meant  that  he  was  at  present  supposed  to  be  a 
failure.  There  was  another  subject  which  pres 
ently  engrossed  several  of  them. 


170         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

"Now  be  so  kind  as  to  give  an  account  of 
yourself,"  Charlie  Shipley  said,  addressing  Col. 
Baker.  "  What  on  earth  did  you  mean  by  mak 
ing  a  muddle  of  our  game  in  that  way  ?  I  was 
in  a  fair  way  for  winning.  I  suppose  you  won't 
own  that  that  was  your  object." 

Col.  Baker  laughed. 

"  My  object  was  a  purely  benevolent  one.  I 
had  a  desire  to  shield  your  sister  from  the  woe 
begone  lecture  she  would  have  been  sure  to  re 
ceive  on  the  sinfulness  of  her  course.  If  he  had 
found  her  playing  cards,  what  would  have  been 
the  result  ?  " 

Mr.  Shipley  was  the  first  to  make  answer,  in  a 
somewhat  testy  tone : 

"  Your  generosity  was  uncalled  for,  Colonel. 
My  daughter,  when  she  is  in  her  father's  house, 
is  answerable  to  him,  and  not  to  Dr.  Dennis,  or 
any  other  divine." 

"  I  don't  in  the  least  understand  what  you  are 
talking  about,"  said  mystified  Flossy.  "  Of  what 
interest  could  it  have  been  to  Dr.  Dennis  what 
I  am  doing  ;  and  why  should  he  have  delivered 
a  lecture  ?  " 

Col.  Baker   and  Charlie  Shipley  exchanged 


The  Rainy  Evening.  171 

amused  glances,  and  the  former  quoted,  signifi 
cantly  : 

"  Where  ignorance  is  bliss,  'tis  folly  to  be 
wise."  Then  he  added,  as  Flossy  still  waited 
with  questioning  gaze :  "  Why,  Miss  Flossy,  of 
course  you  know  that  the  clergy  think  cards  are 
synonyms  for  the  deadly  sin,  and  that  to  hold 
one  in  one's  hand  is  equivalent  to  being  pois 
oned,  body  and  soul  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  I  did  not  know  it.  Why,  I  knew, 
of  course,  that  gambling  houses  were  not  proper ; 
but  what  is  the  harm  in  a  game  of  cards  ?  What 
can  Dr.  Dennis  see,  for  instance,  in  our  playing 
together  here  in  this  room,  and  simply  for  amuse 
ment?" 

Col.  Baker  shrugged  his  handsome  shoulders. 
That  shrug  meant  a  great  deal,  accomplished  a 
great  deal.  It  was  nearly  certain  to  silence  a 
timid  opposer ;  there  was  something  so  expres 
sively  sarcastic  about  it;  it  hid  so  much  one  felt 
sure  Col.  Baker  might  say  if  he  deemed  it  pru 
dent  or  worth  while.  It  had  often  silenced 
Flossy  into  a  conscious  little  laugh.  To-night 
she  was  in  earnest ;  she  paid  no  attention  to  the 
shrug,  but  waited,  questioningly,  for  her  answer , 


172         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

and  as  it  was  her  turn  to  play  next,  it  seemed 
necessary  to  answer  her  if  one  wanted  the  game 
to  go  on. 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know,"  Col.  Baker  said,  at 
last.  "  I  have  very  little  idea  what  he  would 
consider  the  harm ;  I  am  not  sure  that  he 
would  be  able  to  tell.  It  is  probably  a  narrow, 
strait-laced  way  that  the  cloth  have  of  looking  at 
this  question,  in  common  with  all  other  ques 
tions,  save  prayer-meetings  and  almsgiving. 
Their  lives  are  very  much  narrowed  down, 
Miss  Flossy." 

Flossy  was  entirely  unsatisfied.  She  had  a 
higher  opinion  of  Dr.  Dennis'  "  breadth  "  than 
she  had  of  Col.  Baker's ;  she  thought  his  life  had 
a  very  much  higher  range  ;  she  was  very  much 
puzzled  and  annoyed.  Her  father  came  into  the 
conflict : 

"  Come,  come,  Flossy,  how  long  are  you  going 
to  keep  us  waiting  ?  It  is  of  no  particular  con 
sequence  what  Dr.  Dennis  thinks  or  does  not 
think.  He  has  a  right  to  his  own  opinions.  It 
is  a  free  country." 

Ah,  but  it  did  make  a  tremendous  difference 
to  Flossy.  She  had  accepted  Dr.  Dennis  as  her 


The  Rainy  Evening.  173 

pastor ;  she  had  determined  to  look  to  him  for 
help  and  guidance  in  this  new  and  strange  path 
on  which  her  feet  had  so  lately  entered. 

She  wondered  if  Col.  Baker  could  be  right. 
Was  it  possible  that  Dr.  Dennis  disapproved  of 
cards  played  at  home  in  this  quiet  way  !  If  he 
did,  why  did  he  ?  And,  another  puzzling  point, 
how  did  Col.  Baker  know  it  ?  They  two  cer 
tainly  did  not  come  in  contact,  that  they  should 
understand  each  other's  ideas. 

She  went  on  with  her  card-playing,  but  she 
played  very  badly.  More  than  once  Col.  Baker 
rallied  her  with  good-humored  sarcasm,  and  her 
father  spoke  impatiently.  Flossy 's  interest  in 
the  game  was  gone  ;  instead,  her  heart  was  busy 
with  this  new  idea.  She  went  back  to  it  again 
in  one  of  her  pauses  in  the  game. 

"  Col.  Baker,  don't  you  really  know  at  all  what 
arguments  clergymen  have  against  card-playing 
for  amusement  ?  " 

Again  that  expressive  shrug ;  but  it  had  lost 
its  power  over  Flossy,  and  its  owner  saw  it,  and 
made  haste  to  answer  her  waiting  eyes. 

"  I  really  am  not  familiar  with  their  weapons 
of  warfare ;  probably  I  could  not  appreciate 


174        The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

them  if  I  were ;  I  only  know  that  the  entire 
class  frown  upon  all  such  innocent  devices  for 
passing  a  rainy  evening.  But  it  never  struck 
me  as  strange,  because  the  fact  is,  they  frown 
equally  on  all  pastimes  and  entertainments  of 
any  sort ;  that  is,  a  certain  class  do  —  fanatics,  I 
believe,  is  the  name  they  are  known  by.  They 
believe,  as  nearly  as  I  am  capable  of  understand 
ing  their  belief,  that  life  should  be  spent  in 
psalm-singing  and  praying." 

Whereupon  Flossy  called  to  mind  the  witty 
things  she  had  heard,  and  the  merry  laughs 
which  had  rung  around  her  at  Chautauqua,  given 
by  the  most  intense  of  these  fanatics ;  she  even 
remembered  that  she  had  seen  two  of  the  most 
celebrated  in  that  direction  playing  with  a  party 
of  young  men  and  boys  on  the  croquet  ground, 
and  laughing  most  uproariously  over  their  de 
feat.  It  was  all  nonsense  to  try  to  compass  her 
brain  with  such  an  argument  as  that ;  she  shook 
her  head  resolutely. 

"They  do  no  such  thing;  I  know  some  of 
them  very  well ;  I  don't  know  of  any  people 
who  have  nicer  times.  How  do  you  know  these 
things,  Col.  Baker  ?  " 


The  Rainy  Evening.  175 

Col.  Baker  essayed  to  be  serious: 

"  Miss  Flossy,"  he  said,  leaning  over  and  fix 
ing  his  handsome  eyes  impressively  on  her  face, 
"  is  it  possible  you  do  not  know  that,  as  a  rule, 
clergymen  set  their  faces  like  a  flint  against  all 
amusements  of  every  sort  ?  I  do  not  mean  that 
there  are  not  exceptions,  but  I  do  mean  most  as 
suredly  that  Dr.  Dennis  is  not  one  of  them.  He 
is  as  rigid  as  it  is  possible  for  mortal  man  to  be. 

"  Herein  is  where  the  church  does  harm.  In 
my  own  opinion,  it  is  to  blame  for  the  most,  if 
not  for  all,  of  the  excesses  of  the  day  ;  they  are 
the  natural  rebound  of  nerves  that  have  been 
strained  too  tightly  by  the  over-tension  of  the 
church." 

Surely  this  was  a  fine  sentence.  The  Flossy 
of  a  few  weeks  ago  would  have  admired  the 
smooth-sounding  words  and  the  exquisitely  mod 
ulated  voice  as  it  rolled  them  forth.  How  had 
the  present  Flossy  been  quickened  as  to  her 
sense  of  the  fitness  of  things.  She  laughed  mis 
chievously.  She  couldn't  argue  ;  she  did  riot 
attempt  it.  All  she  said  was,  simply  : 

"  Col.  Baker,  on  your  honor,  as  a  gentleman 
of  truth  and  veracity,  do  you  think  the  excesses 


176         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

of  which  you  speak,  occur,  as  a  rule,  in  those 
whose  lives  have  been  very  tightly  bound  by  the 
church,  or  by  anything  else,  save  their  own 
reckless  fancies  ?  " 

Charlie  Shipley  laughed  outright  at  this  point. 
He  always  enjoyed  a  sharp  thing  wherever 
heard,  and  without  regard  to  whether  he  felt 
himself  thrust  at  or  not. 

"  Baker,  you  are  getting  the  worst  of  it,"  he 
said,  gayly.  "Sis,  upon  my  word,  that  two 
weeks  in  the  woods  has  made  you  real  keen  in 
argument ;  but  you  play  abominably." 

"  There  is  no  pleasure  in  the  game  now !  " 
This  the  father  said,  throwing  down  his  cards 
somewhat  testily.  "  Flossy,  I  hope  you  will  not 
get  to  be  a  girl  of  one  idea  —  tied  to  the  profes 
sional  conscience.  What  is  proper  for  you  could 
hardly  be  expected  to  be  just  the  thing  for  Dr. 
Dennis ;  and  you  have  nothing  to  do,  as  I  said 
before,  with  what  he  approves  or  disapproves." 

"But, father,"  Flossy  said,  speaking  somewhat 
timidly,  as  she  could  not  help  doing  when  she 
talked  about  these  matters  to  her  father,  "  if  we 
call  clergymen  our  spiritual  guides,  and  look  up 
to  them  to  set  examples  for  us  to  follow,  what  is 


The  Ron,  ^y  Evening.  177 

the  use  of  the  example  if  we  don't  follow  it  at 
all,  but  conclude  they  are  simply  doing  things 
for  their  own  benefit  ?  " 

"  I  never  call  them  my  spiritual  guides,  and  I 
have  not  the  least  desire  to  have  my  daughter 
do  so.  I  consider  myself  capable  of  guiding  my 
own  family,  especially  my  own  children,  without 
any  help." 

This  was  said  in  Mr.  Shipley's  stiffest  tone. 
He  was  evidently  very  much  tried  with  this 
interruption  to  his  evening's  entertainment. 
Whatever  might  be  said  of  the  others,  he  was 
certainly  very  fond  of  cards.  He,  however,  threw 
down  the  remaining  ones,  declaring  that  the  spirit 
of  the  game  was  gone. 

"  Merged  into  a  theological  discussion,"  Char 
lie  said,  with  a  half  laugh,  half  sneer ;  and  of 
all  the  people  to  indulge  in  one,  this  particular 
circle  would  be  supposed  to  be  the  last." 

"  Well,  I  am  certainly  very  sorry  that  I  waa 
the  innocent  cause  of  such  an  upheaval,"  Col. 
Baker  said,  in  the  half  serious,  half  mocking, 
tone  that  was  becoming  especially  trying  to 
Flossy.  "It  seems  that  I  unwittingly  burst  a 
bombshell  when  I  overturned  those  cards.  I 


178         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

hadn't  an  idea  of  it.  Miss  Flossy,  what  can  I  do 
to  atone  for  making  you  so  uneasy  ?  I  assure 
you  it  was  really  pure  benevolence  on  my  part. 
What  can  I  do  to  prove  it  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  Flossy  said,  smiling  pleasantly. 
She  was  very  much  obliged.  He  had  awakened 
thought  about  a  matter  that  had  never  before  oc 
curred  to  her.  She  began  to  think  there  were  a 
good  many  things  in  her  life  that  had  not  been 
given  very  much  thought.  She  meant  to  look 
into  this  thing,  and  understand  it  if  she  could. 
Indeed,  that  was  what  she  wanted  of  all  things 
to  do. 

Nothing  could  be  simpler  and  sweeter,  and 
nothing  could  be  more  unlike  the  Flossy  of  Col. 
Baker's  former  acquaintance. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  a  bit  if  you  had  roused 
a  hornet's  nest  about  your  ears,"  Charlie  Shipley 
said  to  his  friend.  "  Now  I  tell  you,  you  may 
not  believe  it,  but  my  little  sister  is  just  exactly 
the  stuff  out  of  which  they  made  martyrs  in  thoss 
unenlightened  days  when  anybody  thought  there 
was  enough  truth  in  anything  to  take  the  trou 
ble  to  suffer  for  it.  She  can  be  made  by  skillful 
handling  into  a  very  queen  of  martyrs,  and 


The  Rainy  Evening.  179 

if  you  fall  in  the  ruins,  it  will  be  your  own 
fault," 

But  he  did  not  say  this  until  Flossy  had  sud 
denly  and  unceremoniously  excused  herself,  and 
the  two  gentlemen  were  alone  over  their  cigars. 

"  Confound  that  Chautauqua  scheme  I  "  Col. 
Baker  said,  kicking  an  innocent  hassock  half 
across  the  room  with  his  indignant  foot.  "  That 
is  where  all  these  new  ideas  started.  I  wish 
there  was  a  law  against  fanaticism.  Those 
young  women  of  strong  mind  and  disagreeable 
manners  are  getting  a  most  uncomfortable  in 
fluence  over  her,  too.  If  I  were  you,  Charlie,  I 
would  try  to  put  an  end  to  that  intimacy." 

Charlie  whistled  softly. 

"  Which  do  you  mean  ? "  he  asked  at  last. 
"  The  Erskine  girl,  or  the  Wilbur  one  ?  I  tell 
you,  Baker,  with  all  the  years  of  your  acquain 
tance,  you  don't  know  that  little  Flossy  as  well 
as  you  think  you  do.  Let  me  tell  you,  my  man, 
there  is  something  about  her,  or  in  her,  that  is 
capable  of  development,  and  that  is  being  devel 
oped  (or  I  am  mistaken),  that  will  make  her  the 
leader,  in  a  quiet  way,  of  a  dozen  decided  and 
outspoken  girls  like  those  two,  and  of  several 


180         The  Chautouqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

men  like  yourself  besides,  if  she  chooses  to  lead 
you." 

"  Well,  confound  the  development  then  1  I 
liked  her  better  as  she  was  before." 

"  More  congenial,  I  admit ;  at  least  I  should 
think  so ;  but  not  half  so  interesting  to  watch. 
I  have  real  good  times  now.  I  am  continually 
wondering  what  she  will  do  next." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE     NEXT     THING. 

HAT  she  did  next  that  night  was  to  sit 
with  her  elbows  in  her  lap,  and  her  chin 
resting  on  her  hands,  and  stare  into  vacancy  for 
half  an  hour.  She  was  very  much  bewildered. 
Col.  Baker  had  awakened  a  train  of  thought 
that  would  never  slumber  again.  He  need  not 
hope  for  such  a  thing.  Her  brother  Charlie  saw 
deeper  into  her  nature  than  she  did  herself.  She 
was  tenacious  of  an  idea ;  she  had  grasped  at 
this  one,  which,  of  itself,  would  perhaps  never 
have  occurred  to  her. 

Hitherto  she  had  played  at  cards  as  she  had 
played  on  the  piano  or  worked  at  her  worsted 

(181) 


182         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

cats  and  dogs,  or  frittered  away  an  evening  in  the 
smallest  of  small  talk,  or  done  a  hundred  other 
things,  without  thought  of  results,  without  so 
much  as  realizing  that  there  were  such  things  as 
results  connected  with  such  trifling  common 
places. 

At  least,  so  far  as  the  matter  of  cards  was  con 
cerned,  she  would  never  do  so  again.  Her  quiet 
had  been  disturbed.  The  process  of  reasoning 
by  which  she  found  herself  disturbed  was  very 
simple.  She  had  discovered,  as  if  by  accident, 
that  her  pastor;  as  she  loved  to  call  Dr.  Dennis, 
lingering  on  the  word,  now  that  it  had  such  a 
new  meaning  for  her,  disapproved  of  card-play 
ing,  not  only  for  himself,  but  for  her ;  at  least 
that  Col.  Baker  so  supposed. 

Now  there  must  be  some  foundation  for  this 
belief  of  his.  Either  there  was  something  in  the 
nature  of  the  game  which  Col.  Baker  recognized, 
and  which  she  did  not,  that  made  him  under 
stand,  as  by  instinct,  that  it  would  be  disap 
proved  by  Dr.  Dennis,  or  else  he  had  heard  him 
BO  express  himself,  or  else  he  was  totally  mis 
taken,  and  was  misrepresenting  that  gentleman's 
character. 


The  Next  Thing.  183 

She  thought  all  this  over  as  she  sat  staring 
into  space,  and  she  went  one  step  further  —  she 
meant  to  discover  which  of  these  three  state 
ments  was  correct.  If  Dr.  Dennis  thought  it 
wrong  to  play  cards,  then  he  must  have  reasons 
for  so  thinking.  She  accepted  that  at  once  as  a 
necessity  to  the  man.  They  must  also  have  been 
carefully  weighed  reasons,  else  he  would  not 
have  given  them  a  place  in  his  creed.  This  also 
was  a  necessity  to  a  nature  like  his. 

Clearly  there  was  something  here  for  her  to 
study ;  but  how  to  set  about  it  ?  Over  this 
she  puzzled  a  good  deal ;  she  did  not  like  to  go 
directly  to  Dr.  Dennis  and  ask  for  herself ;  she 
did  not  know  ho\v  to  set  to  work  to  discover  for 
herself  the  truth  j  she  could  pray  for  light,  that 
to  be  sure ;  but  having  brought  her  common 
sense  with  her  into  religious  matters,  she  no 
more  expected  light  to  blaze  upon  her  at  the 
moment  of  praying  for  it,  than  she  expected  the 
sun  to  burst  into  the  room  despite  the  closing  of 
blinds  and  dropping  of  curtain,  merely  because 
she  prayed  that  it  might  shine. 

Clearly  if  she  wanted  the  sun,  it  was  her  part 
to  open  blinds  and  draw  back  curtains  j  clearly  if 


184         The  Chautauqua  GHrls  at  Home. 

she  wanted  mental  light,  it  was  her  part  to  use 
the  means  that  God  had  placed  at  her  disposal. 
Thus  much  she  realized.  But  not  being  a  self- 
reliant  girl,  it  resulted  in  her  saying  to  Eurie 
Mitchell  when  she  slipped  in  the  next  evening 
to  spend  an  hour : 

WI  wish  we  girls  could  get  together  some 
where  this  evening  ;  I  have  something  to  talk 
over  that  puzzles  me  a  great  deal." 

You  are  to  understand  that  the  expression, 
"  we  girls,"  meant  the  four  who  had  lived  Chau 
tauqua  together;  from  henceforth  and  forever 
"  we  girls  "  who  went  through  the  varied  expe 
riences  of  life  together  that  were  crowded  into 
those  two  weeks,  would  be  separated  from  all 
other  girls,  and  their  intercourse  would  neces 
sarily  be  different  from  any  other  friendships, 
colored  always  with  that  which  they  had  lived 
together  under  the  trees. 

"  Well,"  said  Eurie,  quick,  as  usual,  to  carry 
out  what  another  only  suggested,  "  I'm  sure  that 
is  easily  managed.  We  can  call  for  Ruth,  and 
go  around  to  Marion's  den  ;  she  is  always  in,  and 
she  never  has  any  company." 

"  But    Ruth   nearly   always    has,"  objected 


The  Next  Thing.  185 

Flossy,  who  bad  an  instant  vision  of  herself 
among  the  fashionable  callers  in  the  Erskine 
parlor,  unable  to  get  away  without  absolute 
rudeness. 

"  I'll  risk  Ruth  if  she  happens  to  want  to  come 
with  us."  Eurie  said,  nodding  her  head  sagely. 
"  She  will  dispose  of  her  callers  in  some  way ; 
strangle  them,  or  what  is  easier  and  safer,  simply 
ignore  their  existence  and  beg  to  be  excused. 
Ruth  is  equal  to  any  amount  of  well-bred  rude 
ness  ;  all  that  is  necessary  is  the  desire  to  per 
form  a  certain  action,  and  she  will  do  it." 

This  prophecy  of  Eurie's  proved  to  be  the  case. 
Nellis  Mitchell  was  called  into  service  to  see  the 
girls  safely  over  to  the  Erskine  mansion,  where 
they  found  two  gentlemen  calling  on  Ruth  and 
her  father.  No  sooner  did  she  hear  of  their  de 
sire  to  be  together,  than,  feeling  instant  sympa 
thy  with  it,  she  said,  "  I'll  go  in  five  minutes." 
Then  they  heard  her  quiet  voice  in  the  parlor : 

"  Father,  will  you  and  our  friends  excuse  me 
for  the  remainder  of  the  evening,  and  will  you 
enjoy  my  part  of  the  call  and  yours  too  ?  I  have 
just  had  a  summons  elsewhere  that  demands  at* 
tention." 


186         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

"  Isn't  that  perfect  iu  its  propriety,  besides 
bringing  things  to  the  exact  point  where  she 
•wants  them  to  be?  "  whispered  Eurie  to  Flossy 
as  they  waited  in  the  hall.  "  Oh,  it  takes  Ruth 
to  manage." 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Flossy,  with  her  far-away 
look,  and  half-distressed,  wholly -perplexed  curve 
of  the  lip  —  "I  wonder  if  it  is  strictly  true  ;  that 
is  what  troubles  me  a  good  deal." 

Oh,  Dr.  Hurlburt  I  your  address  to  the  chil 
dren  that  summer  day  under  the  trees  was  the 
germ  of  this  shoot  of  sensitiveness  for  the 
strict  truth,  that  shall  bloom  into  conscientious 
fruit. 

It  was  by  this  process  that  they  were  all  to 
gether  in  Marion's  den,  as  Eurie  called  her  stuffed 
and  uninviting  little  room.  Never  was  mortal 
more  glad  to  be  interrupted  than  she,  as  she  un 
ceremoniously  tossed  aside  school-books  and  pa 
pers,  and  made  room  for  them  around  the  table. 

"  You  are  a  blessed  trio,"  she  said,  exultantly. 
"What  good  angel  put  it  into  your  hearts  to 
come  to  me  just  now  and  here  ?  I  am  in  the 
dismals;  have  been  down  all  day  in  the  depths 
of  swamp-land,  feeling  as  if  I  hadn't  a  friend  on 


The  Next  Thing.  187 

earth,  and  didn't  want  one ;  and  here  you  are, 
you  blessed  three." 

"  But  we  didn't  come  for  fun  or  to  comfort 
you,  or  anything  of  that  sort,"  explained  Flossy, 
earnestly,  true  to  the  purpose  that  had  started 
her.  "  We  came  to  talk  something  over." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it.  Talk  it  over  then  by  all 
means.  I'll  talk  at  it  with  all  my  heart.  We 
generally  do  talk  something  over,  I  have  ob 
served,  when  we  get  together ;  at  least  we  do  of 
late  years.  Which  one  wants  to  talk  ?  " 

Thus  introduced,  Flossy  explained  the  nature 
of  her  perplexities  ;  her  occupation  the  evening 
before ;  the  interruption  from  Dr.  Dennis ;  the 
sweeping  action  of  Col.  Baker,  and  the  conse 
quent  talk. 

"  Now  do  you  suppose  that  is  true  ?  "  she  said, 
suddenly  breaking  off  at  the  point  where  Col. 
Baker  had  assured  her  that  all  clergymen  looked 
with  utter  disfavor  on  cards. 

Marion  glanced  from  one  to  another  of  the 
faces  before  her  with  an  amused  air ;  none  of 
them  spoke. 

"  1 1  is  rather  queer,"  she  said,  at  last,  "  that  I 
have  to  be  authority,  or  that  I  seem  to  be  the 


188        The  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Some. 

only  one  posted,  when  I  have  but  just  emerged 
from  a  state  of  unbelief  in  the  whole  subject. 
But  I  tell  you  truly,  my  blessed  little  innocent, 
Col.  Baker  is  well  posted ;  not  only  the  clergy, 
but  he  will  find  a  large  class  of  the  most  enlight- 
ened  Christians,  look  with  disapproval  on  the 
whole  thing  in  all  its  variations." 

"  Why  do  they  ?  "  This  from  Flossy,  with  a 
perplexed  and  troubled  tone. 

"  Well,  said  Marion,  "  now  that  question  is 
more  easily  asked  than  answered.  It  requires  an 
argument." 

"An  argument  is  just  what  I  want;  I  like  to 
have  things  explained.  Before  that,  though, 
one  thing  that  puzzles  me  is  how  should  Col. 
Baker  be  so  familiar  with  the  views  of  clergy 
men?" 

**  That  is  a  curious  fact,  my  mousie  ;  you  will 
find  it,  I  fancy,  in  all  sorts  of  strange  places. 
People  who  are  not  Christians  seem  to  have  an 
intuitive  perception  of  the  fitness  of  things.  It 
is  like  dancing  and  theatre-going,  and  a  dozen 
other  questions.  It  is  very  unusual  to  meet 
people  who  do  not  sneer  at  Christians  for  up 
holding  such  amusements  ;  they  seem  to  realize 


The  Next  Thing.  189 

an  incongruity  between  them  and  the  Christian 
profession.  It  was  just  as  plain  to  me,  I  know, 
and  I  have  sneered  many  a  time  over  card-play 
ing  Christians,  and  here  you  are,  dear  little 
Flossy,  among  them,  just  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  me  not  to  judge." 

Ruth,  for  the  first  time,  took  up  the  subject : 
"  If  your  statement  is  true,  Marion,  how  is  it 
that  so  many  professed  Christians  indulge   in 
these  very  things  ?  " 

"  Precisely  the  question  that  I  just  asked  my 
self  while  I  was  talking.  By  what  means  they 
become  destitute  of  that  keen  insight  into  con 
sistencies  and  inconsistencies,  the  moment  they 
enter  the  lists  as  Christian  people,  is  more  than 
I  can  understand,  unless  it  is  because  they  de 
cide  to  succumb  to  the  necessity  of  doing  as 
other  people  do,  and  let  any  special  thinking 
alone  as  inconvenient  and  unprofitable.  I  don't 
know  how  it  is ;  only  you  watch  this  question 
and  think  about  it,  and  you  will  discover  that 
just  so  surely  as  you  come  in  contact  with  any 
who  are  active  and  alert  in  Christian  work,  whose 
religion  you  respect  as  amounting  to  something, 
you  are  almost  sure  to  see  them  avoiding  aJJ 


190         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

these  amusements.  Who  ever  heard  of  a  minis 
ter  being  asked  to  spend  an  evening  in  social 
card-playing !  I  presume  that  even  Col.  Bakei 
himself  knows  that  that  would  be  improper,  and 
he  would  be  the  first  to  sneer." 

"  Of  course,"  Ruth  said,  "  ministers  were  ex 
pected  to  be  examples  for  other  people  to  fol 
low." 

"  Well,  then,"  Flossy  said,  her  perplexity  in  no 
way  lessened,  "  ought  we  not  to  follow  ?  " 

Whereupon  Marion  clapped  her  hands. 

"  Little  Flossy  among  the  logicians !  "  she  said. 
"  That  is  the  point,  Ruth  Erskine.  If  the  exam 
ple  is  for  us  to  follow,  why  don't  we  follow  ? 
Now,  what  do  you  honestly  think  about  this 
question  yourself?" 

"  Why,"  said  Ruth,  hesitatingly,  "  I  have  al 
ways  played  cards,  in  select  circles,  being  care 
ful,  of  course,  with  whom  I  played;  just  as  I  am 
careful  with  whom  I  associate,  and,  contrary  to 
your  supposition,  I  have  always  supposed  those 
people  who  frowned  on  such  amusements  to  bs 
a  set  of  narrow-minded  fanatics.  And  I  didn't 
know  that  Christian  people  did  frown  on  such 
amusements ;  though,  to  be  sure,  now  that  1 


The  Next  Thing.  191 

think  of  it.  there  are  certain  ones  who  never 
come  to  card-parties  nor  dancing -parties.  I 
guess  the  difficulty  is  that  I  have  never  thought 
anything  about  it." 

Marion  was  looking  sober. 

"  The  fact  is,"  she  said,  gravely,  "  that  with 
all  my  loneliness  and  poverty  and  general  for- 
lornness,  I  have  had  a  different  bringing  up  from 
any  of  you.  My  father  did  not  believe  in  any  of 
these  things." 

"  And  he  was  a  Christian  man,"  Flossy  said, 
quickly.  "  Then  he  must  have  had  a  reason  for 
his  belief.  That  is  what  I  want  to  get  at.  What 
was  it  ?  " 

"  He  found  it  in  an  old  book,"  said  Marion, 
looking  at  her,  brightly,  through  shining  eyes. 
"  He  found  most  of  his  knowledge  and  his  hope 
and  joy  in  that  same  book.  The  Bible  was  al 
most  the  only  book  he  had,  and  he  made  much 
of  that." 

"  And  yet  you  hated  the  Bible  I "  Eurie 
said  this  almost  involuntarily,  with  a  surprised 
tone. 

"  I  hated  the  way  in  which  people  lived  it,  so 
different  from  my  father's  way.  I  don't  think  I 


192         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

ever  really  discarded  the  book  itself.  But  I  waa 
a  fool ;  I  don't  mind  owning  that." 

Flossy  brought  them  back  to  the  subject. 

"  But  about  this  question,"  she  said.  "  The 
Bible  was  just  where  I  went  for  help,  but  I 
didn't  find  it ;  I  looked  in  the  Concordance  foi 
cards  and  for  amusements,  and  for  every  word 
which  I  could  think  of,  that  would  cover  it,  but 
I  couldn't  find  anything." 

Marion  laughed  again.  This  little  morsel's  ig 
norance  of  the  Bible  was  to  this  girl,  who  had 
been  an  avowed  infidel  for  more  than  a  dozen 
years,  something  very  strange. 

"  The  Bible  is  a  big  book,  darling,"  she  said, 
still  laughing.  "  But,  after  all,  I  fancy  you  will 
find  something  about  the  principle  that  governs 
cards,  even  if  you  cannot  find  the  word." 

Meantime  Ruth  had  been  for  some  minutes  re 
garding  Eurie's  grave  face  and  attentive  eyes, 
with  no  small  astonishment  in  her  gaze.  At  this 
point  she  interrupted : 

"  Eurie  Mitchell,  what  can  be  the  matter  with 
you  ?  were  you  ever  known  to  be  so  quiet  ?  I 
haven't  heard  you  speak  on  this  theme,  or  any 
other,  since  you  came  into  the  room ;  yet  you 


The  Next  TJtinj.  193 

look  as  though  you  had  some  ideas,  if  you  chose 
to  advance  them.  Where  do  you  stand  on  this 
card  question  ?  " 

"  We  never  play  cards  at  home,"  Eurie  said, 
quickly,  "and  we  never  go  where  we  know  they 
are  to  be  played." 

Flossy  turned  upon  her  the  most  surprised 
eyes.  Dr.  Mitchell's  family  was  the  most  de 
cidedly  unconventional  and  free  and  easy  of  any 
represented  there.  Flossy  had  supposed  that 
thej',  of  all  others,  would  make  cards  a  daily  pas 
time. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  she  asked,  briefly  and  earnestly, 
as  one  eager  to  learn. 

"It  is  on  Nell's  account,"  Eurie  said,  still 
speaking  very  gravely.  "Nell  has  but  one  fault, 
and  that  is  card-playing  ;  he  is  just  passionately 
fond  of  it;  he  is  tempted  everywhere.  Father 
says  Grandfather  Mitchell  was  just  so,  and  Nell 
inherits  the  taste.  It  is  a  great  temptation  to 
him,  and  we  do  not  like  to  foster  it  at  home." 

*'  But  home  card-playing  is  so  different  ;  that 
isn't  gambling."  This  from  Flossy,  question- 


"  Nell  learned  to  play  at  home,"  Eurie  said, 


194         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

quickly.  "  That  is,  lie  learned  at  Grandfather 
Mitchell's  when  he  was  a  little  boy.  We  have 
no  means  of  knowing  whether  he  would  have 
been  led  into  gambling  but  for  that  early  educa 
tion.  I  know  that  Robbie  shall  never  learn  if 
we  can  help  it ;  we  never  mean  to  allow  him  to 
go  where  any  sort  of  cards  are  played,  so  long 
as  we  have  him  under  control." 

All  this  was  utterly  new  to  Flossy. 

"  Then,  if  your  little  Robbie  should  come,  with 
other  children,  to  see  me,  and  I  should  teach 
them  a  game  of  cards  to  amuse  them,  I  might  be 
loing  you  a  positive  injury,"  she  said,  thought 
fully. 

"  I  certainly  should  so  consider  it,"  Eurie  said, 
with  quickness  and  with  feeling.  "Girls,  I 
speak  vehemently  on  this  subject  always ;  hav 
ing  one  serious  lesson  at  home  makes  people 
think." 

"It  is  a  question  whether  we  have  any  right 
to  indulge  in  an  amusement  that  has  the  power 
to  lead  people  astray,"  Ruth  said,  grave  and 
thoughtful,  "  especially  when  it  is  impossible  to 
tell  what  boy  may  be  growing  up  under  that  in 
fluence  to  whom  it  will  become  a  snare." 

Marion  added : 


The  Next  Thing.  195 

"  FJcwsy,  do  you  begin  to  see  ?  " 

"  I  see  in  every  direction,"  Flossy  said. 
"  There  is  no  telling  when  we  may  be  doing 
harm.  But,  now,  let  me  be  personal;  I  play 
with  father  a  great  deal ;  he  is  an  old  man,  and 
he  has  no  special  temptation,  certainly.  I  have 
heard  him  say  he  never  played  for  anything  of 
more  value  than  a  pin  in  his  life.  What  harm 
can  there  possibly  be  in  my  spending  an  evening 
with  him  in  such  an  amusement,  if  it  rests  and 
entertains  him  ?  " 

"Imagine  some  of  your  Sunday-school  boys  ac 
cepting  your  invitation  to  call  on  you,  and  find 
ing  you  playing  a  social  game  with  your  father ; 
then  imagine  them  quoting  you  in  support  of 
their  game  at  the  billiard  saloon  that  same  even 
ing  a  little  later,"  Marion  said,  quickly.  u  You 
see,  my  little  Flossy,  we  don't  live  in  nutshells 
or  sealed  cans ;  we  are  at  all  times  liable  to  bo 
broken  in  upon  by  people  whom  we  may  influ 
ence  and  whom  we  may  harm.  I  confess  I 
don't  want  to  do  anything  at  home  that  will 
have  to  be  pushed  out  of  sight  in  haste  and 
confusion  because  some  one  happens  to  come 
in.  I  want  to  be  honest,  even  in  my  play." 

Over  this   Flossy   looked  absolutely  aghast. 


196         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

Those  bo}rs  of  hers,  they  were  getting  a  strong 
hold  upon  her  already  ;  she  longed  to  lead  them. 
Was  it  possible  that  by  her  very  amusements 
she  might  lead  them  astray  I  Another  point 
was,  that  Nellis  Mitchell  could  never  be  invited 
to  join  them  in  a  game.  She  had  invited  him 
often,  and  she  winced  at  the  thought.  Did  his 
sister  think  she  had  helped  him  into  temptation  ? 
Following  these  trains  of  thought,  she  was  led 
into  another,  over  which  she  thought  aloud. 

**  And  suppose  any  of  them  should  ask  me  if  I 
ever  played  cards  I  I  should  have  to  say  yes." 

"  Precisely,"  said  Marion.  "  And  don't  you 
£o  to  thinking  that  }*ou  can  ever  hide  behind 
that  foolish  little  explanation,  'I  play  simply  for 
amusement;  I  think  it  is  wrong  to  play  for 
money."  It  won't  do  :  it  takes  logical  brains  to 
see  the  difference,  and  some  even  of  those  won't 
see  it ;  but  they  can  readily  see  that,  having 
plenty  of  money,  of  course  you  have  no  tempta 
tion  to  play  cards  for  it,  and  they  see  that  with 
them  it  is  different." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SETTLING   QUESTIONS. 

HERE  is  Bible  for  that  doctrine  too." 

"Where?"    Flossy    asked,    turning 
quickly  to  Marion. 

"In  lliis  verse:  *  If  meat  maketh  my  brother 
to  offend,  I  will  eat  no  meat  while  the  world 
stands.'  Don't  you  see  you  never  can  know 
which  brother  may  be  made  to  offend  ?  " 

"  And  it  is  even  about  so  useful  a  thing  as 
food,"  said  Floss}-,  looking  her  amazement;  she 
had  never  heard  that  verse  before  in  her  life. 
"About  just  that  thing;  and  nothing  so  really 
unnecessary  to  a  complete  life  as  card-playing 
may  be." 


198        The  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Home. 

"Col.  Baker  sneers  at  the  inconsistency  of 
people  xv  ho  liave  nothing  to  do  with  cards,  and 
who  play  croquet."  Eurie  said  this  with  cheeks 
a  little  heightened  in  color;  she  had  come  in 
contact  with  Col.  Baker  on  this  very  ques 
tion. 

Ruth  looked  up  quickly  from  the  paper  on 
which  she  was  scribbling. 

"  I  think  myself,"  she  said,  "  that  if  it  should 
seem  necessary  to  me  to  give  up  cards  entirely, 
consistency  would  oblige  me  to  include  croquet, 
and  all  other  games  of  that  sort." 

"  I  shouldn't  feel  obliged  to  do  any  such 
thing,'1  Marion  said,  promptly  ;  at  least,  not  un 
til  1  had  become  convinced  that  people  played 
croquet  late  into  the  night,  in  rooms  smelling  of 
tobacco  and  liquor,  and  were  tempted  to  drink 
freely  of  the  latter,  and  pawn  their  coats,  if  nec 
essary,  to  get  money  enough  to  carry  out  the 
game.  You  see,  there  is  a  difference." 

"  Yet  people  can  gamble  in  playing  croquet," 
Euiie  said,  thoughtfully. 

u  Oh,  yes,  and  people  can  gamble  with  pins,  or 
in  tossing  up  pennies.  The  point  is,  they  are 
not  in  the  habit  of  doing  it ;  and  pins  suggest  no 


Settling  Questions.  199 

such  thing  to  people  in  general ;  neither  do  cro 
quet  balls ;  while  the  fact  remains  that  the  ordi 
nary  use  of  cards,  is  to  gamble  with  them  ;  and 
comparatively  few  of  those  who  use  them  habit 
ually  confine  themselves  to  quiet  home  games. 
People  are  in  danger  of  making  their  brothers' 
offend  by  their  use  ;  we  all  know  that." 

"  If  that  is  true,  then  just  that  one  verse  from 
the  Bible  ought  to  settle  the  whole  question." 
There  was  no  mistaking  the  quiet  meaning  in 
Flossy's  voice  ;  it  was  as  good  as  saying  that  the 
whole  question  was  settled  for  her.  Marion  re 
garded  her  with  evident  satisfaction  ;  her  man 
ner  was  all  the  more  fascinating,  because  she  was 
BO  entirely  unconscious  that  this  way  of  looking 
at  questions,  rather  than  this  firm  manner  of  set 
tling  questions,  was  not  common,  even  among 
Christians.  "  Can  you  show  me  the  verse  in 
your  Bible  ?  "  she  presently  asked. 

"  I  can  do  that  same  with  the  greatest  pleas 
ure,"  Marion  said,  bringing  forward  a  new  and 
shining  concordance.  "  I  really  meant  to  have  a 
new  dress  this  fall;  I  say  that,  Rutlne,  for  your 
special  comfort ;  but  the  truth  is,  there  was  an 
army  of  Bible  verses  that  I  learned  in  my  youth 


200         The  Chautauqua  Girh  at  Home. 

trooping  up  to  me,  and  I  had  such  a  desire  to 
see  the  connection,  and  find  out  what  they  were 
all  about,  that  I  was  actually  obliged  to  sacrifice 
the  dress  and  get  a  concordance.  I  have  lots  of 
comfort  with  it.  Here  is  the  verse,  Flossy." 

Flossy  drew  the  Bible  toward  her  with  a  little 
sigh. 

"  I  wish  I  knew  an  army  of  verses,"  she  said. 
"  Seems  to  me  I  don't  know  any  at  all."  Then 
she  went  to  reading. 

"  I  know  verses  enough,"  Eurie  said,  "  but 
they  seem  to  be  in  a  great  muddle  in  my  brain. 
I  can't  remember  that  any  of  them  were  ever  ex 
plained  to  me ;  and  it  isn't  very  often  that  I  find 
a  place  where  any  of  them  will  fit  in." 

"  They  do  fit  in,  though,  and  with  astonishing 
closeness,  you  will  find,  as  you  grow  used  to 
them.  I  have  been  amazed  at  that  feature  of 
the  Bible.  Some  of  the  verses  that  occur  in  the 
selections  for  parsing  are  just  wonderful ;  they 
seem  aimed  directly  at  me.  What  have  you 
found,  Flossy  ?  " 

"  Wonderful  things,"  said  Flossy,  flushing  and 
smiling. 

44  You  are  reading  backward,  aren't  you  ?    I 


Settling  Questions,  201 

know  those  verses  ;  just  }rou  let  me  read  them, 
substituting  the  object  about  which  we  are  talk 
ing,  and  see  how  they  will  fit.  You  see,  girls, 
this  astonishing  man,  Paul  by  name  —  do  you 
happen  to  know  his  history?  —  more  wonderful 
things  happened  to  him  than  to  any  other  nrortal 
I  verily  believe.  Well,  he  was  talking  about 
idols,  and  advising  his  Christian  friends  not  to 
eat  the  food  that  had  been  offered  to  idols  ;  not 
that  it  would  hurt  them,  but  because  —  well, 
you'll  see  the  '  because  '  as  I  read.  I'll  just  put 
in  our  word,  for  an  illustration,  instead  of  meat. 
'  But  cards  commend  us  not  to  God:  for  neither 
if  we  play  are  we  the  better  ;  neither  if  we  play 
not,  arc  we  the  worse.  But  take  heed  lest  by 
any  means  this  liberty  of  3' ours  become  a  stum 
bling-block  to  them  that  arc  weak ;  for  if  any 
man  see  thee  which  hast  knowledge,  sit  at  cards, 
shall  not  the  conscience  of  him  which  is  weak  be 
emboldened  to  sit  at  cards  also  ?  And  through 
thy  knowledge  shall  the  weak  brother  perish  for 
whom  Christ  died  ?  But  when  ye  sin  so  against 
the  brethren  and  wound  their  weak  conscience, 
ye  sin  against  Christ.  Wherefore  if  cards  make 
my  brother  to  offend,  I  will  play  no  more  cards 


202         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

while  the  world  standeth,lest  I  make  my  brother 
to  offend.'  Doesn't  that  fit?" 

M  Let  me  look  at  that,"  said  Eune,  suddenly, 
drawing  the  Bible  to  her.  "  After  all,"  she  said, 
after  a  moment  "  what  right  have  3*011  to  substi 
tute  the  word  cards  ?  It  is  talking  about  another 
matter." 

"Now,  Eurie  Mitchell,  you  are  too  bright  to 
make  such  a  remark  as  that  I  If  the  Bible  is  for 
our  help  as  well  as  for  Paul's,  we  have  surely 
the  right  to  substitute  the  noun  that  fits  our 
present  needs.  We  have  no  idols  nowdaj-s ;  at 
least  they  are  not  made  out  of  wood  and  stone  ; 
and  the  logic  of  the  question  is  as  clear  as  sun 
light.  We  have  only  to  understand  that  the 
matter  of  playing  cards  is  a  snare  and  a  danger 
to  some  people,  and  we  see  our  duty  clearly 
enough,  because,  how  are  we  ever  to  be  sure  that 
the  very  person  who  will  be  tempted  is  not 
within  the  reach  of  our  influence.  What  do  }*ou 
think,  Flossy  ?  Is  the  question  any  clearer  to 
you?" 

**  Why,  yes,"  Flossy  said,  slowly,  "  that  eighth 
verse  settles  it :  '  For  meat  commendeth  us  not 
to  God,  for  neither  if  we  eat  are  we  the  better. 


Settling  Questions.  203 

neither  if  we  eat  not  are  we  the  worse.'  It  cer 
tainly  can  do  no  one  any  harm  if  I  let  cards 
alone,  and  it  is  equally  certain  that  it  may  do 
harm  if  I  play  them.  I  should  think  my  duty 
was  clear." 

"  I  wonder  what  Col.  Baker  will  say  to  that 
duty  ? "  quered  Eurie,  thinking  aloud  rather 
than  speaking  to  any  one.  "  lie  is  very  much 
given  over  to  the  amusement,  if  I  am  not  mis 
taken." 

Flossy  raised  her  eyes  and  fixed  them  thought 
fully  on  Ernie's  face,  while  a  flush  spread  all 
over  her  own  pretty  one.  Was  it  possible  that 
she  had  helped  to  foster  this  taste  in  Col.  Baker. 
How  many  evenings  she  had  spent  with  him  in 
this  way.  Was  he  very  much  adicted  to  the  use 
of  cards,  she  wondered  ;  that  is,  outside  of  theb 
own  pailor  ?  Eurie  seemed  to  know  something 
about  it. 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ? "  she  asked,  at 
lost. 

"  Because  I  know  so.  He  has  a  great  deal  to 
do  wi'.h  Nell's  infatuation.  He  was  the  very 
first  one  with  whom  Nell  ever  played  for  any 
thing  but  fun.  Flossy  Shipley,  you  surely  know 


204        The  CTiautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

that  be  derives  a  good  deal  of  his  income  in  that 
way?" 

"  I  certainly  did  not  know  it,"  Flossy  said, 
with  an  increasing  glow  on  her  cheeks.  The 
glow  was  caused  by  wondering  how  far  her  own 
brother,  Charlie,  had  been  led  by  this  man. 

"  Girls,"  said  Marion,  concluding  that  a  change 
of  subject  would  be  wise,  "  wouldn't  a  Bible 
reading  evening  be  nice  ?  " 

u  What  kind  of  an  evening  can  that  be  ?  " 

Marion  laughed. 

"  Why,  a  reading  together  out  of  the  Bible 
about  a  certain  subject",  or  subjects,  that  inter 
ested  us,  and  about  which  we  wanted  to  inform 
ourselves?  Like  this,  for  instance.  1  presume 
there  are  dozens  of  texts  that  bear  on  this  very 
question.  It  would  Le  nice  to  go  over  them  to 
gether  and  talk  them  up." 

Flossy's  eyes  brightened. 

"  I  would  like  that  exceedingly,"  she  said.  "  1 
need  the  help  of  you  all.  J  know  so  very  little 
about  the  Bible.  We  have  musical  evenings, 
and  literary  evenings  ;  why  not  Bible  evenings  ? 
Let's  do  it." 

"  Apropos  of  the  subject  in  hand,  before  we 

' 


Settling  Questions.  205 

take  up  a  new  one,  what  do  you  think  of  this  by 
way  of  illustration  ?  "  Ruth  asked,  as  she  threw 
down  on  the  table  a  daintily  written  epistle. 
Thers  was  an  eager  grasping  after  it  by  this, 
merry  trio,  and  Eurie  securing  it,  read  aloud.  It 
was  an  invitation  for  the  next  evening  to  a  select 
gathering  of  choice  spirits  for  the  purpose  of  en 
joying  a  social  evening  at  cards. 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do  with  it?"  Mar 
ion  asked,  as  Eurie  balanced  the  note  on  her 
hand  with  an  amused  face ;  the  illustration  fitted 
so  remarkably  into  the  talk. 

"  Decline  it,"  Ruth  said,  briefly.  And  then 
added,  as  an  after-thought,  "  I  never  gave  the 
subject  any  attention  in  my  life.  I  am,  perhaps, 
not  entirely  convinced  now,  only  I  see  as  Flossy 
does,  that  I  shall  certainly  do  no  harm  by  declin 
ing  ;  whereas  it  seems  1  may  possibly  do  some 
by  accepting ;  therefore,  of  course,  the  way  is 
clear." 

She  said  it  with  the  utmost  composure,  and  it 
\vas  evident  that  the  idea  of  such  a  course  being 
disagreeable  to  her,  or  of  her  considering  it  a 
cross  to  decline,  had  not  occurred  to  her.  She 
cared  nothing  at  all  about  these  matters,  and  had 


20o         The   Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

only  been  involved  in  them  as  a  soit  of  necessity 
belonging  to  society.  She  was  more  than  wil 
ling  to  be  "counted  out." 

As  for  Flossy,  she  drew  a  little  sigh  of  envy. 
She  would  have  given  much  to  have  been  con 
stituted  like  Ruth  Erskine.  She  knew  that  the 
same  like  invitation  would  probably  come  to  her, 
and  she  knew  that  she  would  decline  it;  but, 
aside  from  loss  of  the  pleasure  and  excite 
ment  of  the  pretty  toilet  and  the  pleasant  even 
ing  among  her  friends,  she  foresaw  long  and 
wearisome  discussions  with  Col.  Baker,  with 
Charlie,  with  her  father  ;  sarcastic  remarks  from 
Kitty  and  her  lover,  and  a  long  train  of  an 
noyances.  She  dreaded  them  all ;  it  was  so 
easy  to  slip  along  with  the  current ;  it  was  so 
hard  to  stem  it  and  insist  on  going  the  other 
way. 

As  for  Marion  Wilbur,  she  envied  them  both  ; 
a  chance  for  them  to  dash  out  into  a  new  chan 
nel  and  make  some  headway,  not  the  everlasting 
humdrum  sameness  that  filled  her  life. 

Flossy  was  fascinated  with  the  Bible  words, 
that  were  so  new  and  fresh  to  her. 

"  Those  verses  cover  a  great  deal  of  ground," 


Settling  Questions.  20 1 

she  said,  slowly  reading  them  over  again.  "  I 
can  think  of  a  good  many  things  which  we  call 
right  enough,  that,  measured  by  that  test,  would 
have  to  be  changed  or  given  up.  But,  Marion, 
you  spoke  of  dancing  and  theatre-going.  I  can't 
quite  see  what  the  verses  have  to  do  with  either 
of  those  amusements ;  I  mean  not  as  we,  and 
the  people  in  our  set,  have  to  do  with  such 
things.  Do  you  think  every  form  of  dancing  is 
wicked  ?  " 

"  What  wholesale  questions  you  ask,  my  mor 
sel  I  And  you  ask  them  precisely  as  though  I 
had  been  made  umpire  and  you  must  abide  by 
my  decisions,  whatever  they  are.  Now,  do 
you  know  I  never  believed  in  dancing  ?  I  had 
some  queer,  perhaps  old-fashioned,  notions  about 
it  all  my  life.  Even  before  there  was  any  such 
thing  as  a  conscientious  scruple  about  it,  I  should 
not  have  danced  if  I  had  had  a  hundred  chances 
to  mingle  in  just  the  set  that  you  do ;  so,  per 
haps,  I  am  not  the  one  of  whom  to  ask  that  ques 
tion." 

"I  should  think  you  were  just  the  one.  Jf 
you  have  examined  it,  and  know  why  you  think 
BO,  you  can  surely  tell  me,  and  give  me  a  chance 


208         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

to  see  whether  I  ought  to  think  as  you  do  or 
not." 

"/need  posting,  decidedly,  on  that  question," 
Eurie  said,  throwing  off  her  earnestness  and 
looking  amused.  "  If  there  is  any  one  thing 
above  another  that  I  do  thoroughly  enjoy,  it  is 
dancing ;  and  I  give  you  all  fair  warning,  I  don't 
mean  to  be  coaxed  out  of  it  very  easily.  I 
shall  fight  hard  for  that  bit  of  fun.  Marion 
don't  know  anything  about  it,  for  she  never 
danced;  but  the  rest  of  you  know  just  what  a 
delicious  exercise  it  is ;  and  I  don't  believe, 
when  it  is  indulged  in  reasonably,  and  at  proper 
places,  there  is  any  harm  at  all  in  it.  If  i  am  to 
give  it  up,  you  will  have  to  show  me  strong  rea 
sons  why  I  should." 

"  All  this  fits  right  in  with  my  idea,"  Marion 
said.  "  Nothing  could  be  more  suitable  for  our 
first  Bible  reading.  Let  us  take  an  evening  for 
it,  and  prepare  ourselves  as  well  as  we  can  be 
forehand,  and  examine  into  the  Bible  view  of  it. 
Eurie,  you  will  be  expected  to  be  armed  with  all 
the  Scriptural  arguments  in  its  favor.  I'll  try 
for  the  other  side.  Now,  Ruth  and  Flossy, 
which  aide  will  you  choose  ?  " 


Settling  Questions.  209 

"  Neither,"  Ruth  said,  promptly.  "  I  am  in 
terested  in  the  subject,  and  shall  be  glad  to  be 
informed  as  to  what  the  Bible  says  about  it,  if 
any  of  you  are  smart  enough  to  find  anything 
that  will  bear  on  the  subject;  but  I  believe  the 
Bible  left  that,  as  well  as  some  other  things,  to 
our  common  sense,  and  that  each  of  us  have  to 
decide  the  mutter  for  ourselves." 

"  All  ngni,"  said  Marion,  we'll  accept  you  on 
the  non-committal  side.  Only,  remember  you 
are  to  try  to  prove  from  the  Bible  that  it  has 
left  us  to  decide  this  matter  for  ourselves." 

"  I  shall  take  every  side  that  I  find,"  Flossy 
said.  "  What  I  want  to  know  is,  the  truth  about 
things." 

"  Without  regard  as  to  whether  the  truth  is  so 
fortunate  as  to  agree  with  your  opinion  or  not  ?  " 
said  Marion.  "  You  will,  probably,  be  quite  as 
likely  to  find  the  truth  as  any  of  us.  Well,  I 
like  the  plan ;  there  is  work  in  it,  and  it  will 
amount  to  something.  When  shall  it  be?" 

"  Next  Friday,"  said  Flossy. 

"No,"  said  Ruth;  "Friday  is  the  night  of 
Mrs.  Garland's  lawn  party." 

"A  dancing    party,"  said    Eurie.      "Good I 


210         The   Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

Let  us  come  together  on  Thursday  evening.  If 
there  is  a  dancing  party  just  ahead,  it  will  make 
us  all  the  more  zealous  to  prove  our  sides ;  I 
shall  be,  at  least,  for  I  want  to  go  to  Mrs.  Gar- 
landV 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


LOOKING    FOR    WOBK. 

.  DENNIS  had  just  gone  into  his  study 
to  make  ready  for  the  evening  prayer- 
meeting,  when  he  heard  his  door-bell  ring.  lie 
remembered  with  a  shade  of  anxiety  that  his 
daughter  was  not  yet  out  of  school,  and  that  hU 
sister  and  housekeeper  was  not  at  home.  It  \va.s 
more  than  likely  that  he  would  be  interrupted. 

"What  is  it,  Hannah?"  he  asked,  as  that 
person  appeared  at  his  door. 

"  It  is  Miss  Erskine,  sir.  I  told  her  that  Miss 
Dennis  was  out  of  town,  and  Miss  Grace  was  at 
school,  and  she  said  it  was  of  no  consequence 
she  wanted  to  see  the  minister  himself.  Will  1 
tell  her  that  you  are  engaged  ?  " 

(211) 


212         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

"  No,"  said  Dr.  Dennis,  promptly.  The  sen 
sation  was  still  very  new,  this  desire  on  the  part 
of  any  of  the  name  of  Erskine  to  see  him.  His 
preparation  could  afford  to  wait. 

Two  minutes  more  and  Ruth  was  in  the  study. 
It  was  a  place  in  which  she  felt  as  nearly  embar 
rassed  as  she  ever  approached  to  that  feeling. 
She  had  a  specific  purpose  in  calling,  and  words 
arranged  wherewith  to  commence  her  topic  ;  hut 
they  fled  from  her  as  if  she  had  been  a  school 
girl  instead  of  a  finished  young  lady  in  society  ; 
and  she  answered  the  Doctor's  kind  enquiries  as 
to  the  health  of  her  father  and  herself  in  an  ab 
sent  and  constrained  manner.  At  last  this  good 
man  concluded  to  help  her. 

"  Is  there  any  thing  special  that  I  can  do  lor 
you  to-day?"  he  asked,  with  a  kindly  interest 
in  his  tone,  that  suggested  the  feeling  that  he 
was  interested  in  her  plans,  whatever  they  were, 
and  would  be  glad  to  help. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  surprised  into  frankness  by 
Lis  straightforward  way  of  doing  things  ;  "or,  at 
least,  I  hope  you  can.  Dr.  Dennis,  ought  not 
every  Christian  to  be  at  work  ?  " 

"Our  great  Example  said;    4I  must  work 


Looking  for  Work.  213 

the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is 
day.' " 

"  I  know  it ;  that  very  verse  set  me  to  think 
ing  about  it.  That  is  what  I  want  help  about. 
There  is  no  work  for  me  to  do ;  at  least,  I  can't 
find  any.  I  am  doing  just  nothing  at  all,  and  I 
don't  in  the  least  know  which  way  to  turn.  I 
am  not  satisfied  with  this  state  of  things  ;  I  can't 
settle  back  to  my  books  and  my  music  as  I  did 
before  I  went  away ;  I  don't  enjoy  them  as  I 
used  to ;  I  mean,  they  don't  absorb  me ;  the}* 
seem  to  be  of  no  earthly  use  to  any  one  but  my 
self,  and  I  don't  feel  absolutely  certain  that  they 
are  of  any  use  to  me  ;  anyway,  they  are  not 
Christian  work." 

"As  to  that,  you  are  not  to  be  too  certain 
about  it.  Wonderful  things  can  be  done  with 
music;  and  when  one  is  given  a  marked  talent 
for  it,  as  I  hear  has  been  the  case  with  you,  it  is 
not  to  be  hidden  in  a  napkin." 

"  I  don't  know  what  I  can  do  with  mu 
sic,  I  am  sure,"  Ruth  said,  skeptically.  "  I 
suppose  I  must  have  a  good  deal  of  talent 
in.  that  direction ;  I  have  been  told  so  ever 
since  I  can  remember;  but  beyond  entertain- 


214         The   Chautauqua   Crirls  at  Home. 

ing  my  friends,  I  see  no  other  special  use 
for  it." 

"  Do  }'ou  remember  telling  me  about  the  songs 
which  Mr.  Bliss  sang  at  Chautauqua,  and  the 
effect  on  the  audience  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Ruth,  speaking  heartily,  and  her 
cheeks  glowing  at  the  recollection  "  but  he  was 
wonderful  I " 

"  The  same  work  can  be  done  in  a  smaller 
way,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  smiling.  "1  hope  to 
show  you  something  of  what  you  may  do  to  help 
in  that  way  before  another  winter  passes ;  but, 
in  the  meantime,  mere  entertainment  of  friends 
is  not  a  bad  motive  for  keeping  up  one's  music. 
Then  there  is  the  uncertain  future  ever  before 
us.  What  if  you  should  be  called  upon  to  teach 
music  some  day  ?  " 

A  vision  of  herself  toiling  wearily  from  house 
to  house  in  all  weathers,  and  at  all  hours  of  the 
day,  as  she  had  seen  music  teachers  do,  hovered 
over  Ruth  Erskine's  brain,  and  so  utterly  im 
probable  and  absurd  did  the  picture  seem,  when 
she  imagined  it  as  having  any  reference  to  her, 
that  she  laughed  outright. 

"  I  don't  believe  I  shall  ever  teach  music/'  she 
said,  positively. 


Looking  for  Work.  215 

**  Perhaps  not ;  and  yet  stranger  things  than 
that  have  happened  in  this  changeful  life." 

"  But,  Dr.  Dennis,"  she  said,  with  sudden  en 
ergy,  and  showing  a  touch  of  annoyance  at  the 
turn  which  the  talk  was  taking,  "  my  trouble  is 
not  an  inability  to  employ  my  time  ;  I  do  not  be 
long  to  the  class  of  young  ladies  who  are  afflicted 
with  ennui."  And  a  sarcastic  curve  of  her  hand 
some  lip  made  Ruth  look  very  like  the  Miss 
Erskine  that  Dr.  Dennis  had  always  known. 
She  despised  people  who  had  no  resources  within 
themselves.  "  I  can  find  plenty  to  do,  and  I  en 
joy  doing  it ;  but  the  point  is,  I  seem  to  be  liv 
ing  only  for  myself,  and  that  doesn't  seem  right. 
I  want  Christian  work." 

To  tell  the  truth  Dr.  Dennis  was  puzzled. 
There  was  so  much  work  to  do,  his  hands  and 
heart  were  always  so  full  and  running  over,  that 
it  seemed  strange  to  him  for  any  one  to  come 
looking  for  Christian  work ;  the  world  was  teem 
ing  with  it. 

On  the  other  hand  he  confessed  to  himself 
that  he  was  utterly  unaccustomed  to  hearing 
people  ask  for  work ;  or,  if  the  facts  be  told,  to 
having  any  one  do  any  work. 

Years  ago  he  had  tried  to  set  the  people  of  the 


216         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

First  Church  to  work ;  but  they  had  stared  at 
him  and  misunderstood  him,  and  he  confessed  to 
himself  that  he  had  given  over  trying  to  get 
work  out  of  most  of  them.  While  this  experi 
ence  was  refreshing,  it  was  new,  and  left  him  for 
the  moment  bewildered. 

"  I  understand  you,"  he  said,  rallying.  "  There 
is  plenty  of  Christian  work.  Do  you  want  to 
take  a  class  in  the  Sunday-school  ?  There  is  a 
vacancy." 

Ruth  shook  her  head  with  decision. 

"  That  is  not  at  all  my  forte.  I  have  no  fac 
ulty  for  teaching  children  ;  I  am  entirely  unused 
to  them,  and  have  no  special  interest  in  them, 
and  no  sort  of  idea  how  they  are  to  be  managed. 
Some  people  are  specially  fitted  for  such  work  ; 
I  know  I  am  not." 

"  Often  we  find  our  work  much  nearer  horns 
than  we  had  planned,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  regard 
ing  her  with  a  thoughtful  air.  "  How  is  it  with 
your  father,  Miss  Erskine  ?  " 

"My  father?"  she  repeated;  and  she  could 
hardly  have  looked  more  bewildered  if  her  pas 
tor  had  asked  after  the  welfare  of  the  man  in  the 
moon. 


Looking  for  Work.  217 

"  Are  you  trying  to  win  him  over  to  the  Lord's 
Bide  ?  " 

Utter  silence  and  surprise  on  Miss  Erskine's 
part.  At  last  she  said : 

"I  hardly  ever  see  rny  father;  we  are  never 
alone  except  when  we  are  on  our  way  to  dinner, 
or  to  pay  formal  calls  on  very  formal  people. 
Then  we  are  always  in  a  hurry.  I  cannot  reach 
my  father,  Dr.  Dennis  ;  he  is  immersed  in  busi 
ness,  and  has  no  time  nor  heart  for  such  matters. 
I  should  not  in  the  least  know  how  to  approach 
him  if  I  had  a  chance  ;  and,  indeed,  I  am  sure  I 
could  do  no  good,  for  he  would  esteem  it  an  im 
pertinence  to  be  questioned  by  his  daughter  as 
to  his  thoughts  on  these  matters." 

"  Yet  you  have  an  earnest  desire  to  see  him  a 
Christian  ?  " 

"  i"es,"  she  said,  speaking  slowly  and  hesitat 
ingly  ;  "  of  course  I  have  that.  To  be  very 
frank,  Dr.  Dennis,  it  is  a  hopeless  sort  of  desire  ; 
I  don't  expect  it  in  the  least ;  my  father  is  pecu 
liarly  unapproachable  ;  I  know  he  considers  him 
self  sufficient  unto  himself,  if  you  will  allow  the 
expression.  In  thinking  of  him,  I  have  felt  that 
a  great  many  years  from  now,  when  he  is  old, 


218        The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

and  when  business  cares  and  responsibilities  have 
in  a  measure  fallen  off,  and  given  him  time  to 
think  of  himself,  he  might  then  feel  his  need  of  a 
Friend  and  be  won ;  but  I  don't  even  hope  for  it 
before  that  time." 

u  My  dear  friend,  you  have  really  no  right  to 
set  a  different  time  from  the  one  that  your  Mas 
ter  has  set,"  her  pastor  said,  earnestly.  "  Don't 
you  know  that  his  time  is  always  now?  How 
can  you  be  sure  that  he  will  choose  to  give 
your  father  a  long  life,  and  leisure  in  old  age 
to  help  him  to  think?  Isn't  that  a  terrible 
risk?" 

Ruth  Erskine  shook  her  decided  head. 

*'  I  feel  sure  that  my  work  is  not  in  that  direc 
tion,"  she  said.  "  I  could  not  do  it ;  you  do  not 
know  my  father  as  well  as  I  do  ;  he  would  never 
allow  me  to  approach  him.  The  most  I  can  hope 
to  do  will  be  to  hold  what  he  calls  my  new  views 
so  far  into  the  background  that  he  will  not  posi 
tively  forbid  them  to  me.  He  is  the  only  person 
I  think  of  whom  1  stand  absolutely  ia  a\ve. 
Then  I  couldn't  talk  with  him.  His  life  is  a 
pure,  spotless  one,  convincing  by  its  very  moral 
ity;  so  he  thinks  that  there  is  no  need  of  a  S;i- 


Looking  for  Work.  219 

viour.  I  do  pray  for  him  ;  I  mean  to  as  long  as 
he  and  I  live  ;  but  I  know  I  can  do  nothing  else  ; 
at  least  not  for  many  a  year." 

IIo\v  was  Dr.  Dennis  to  set  to  work  a  ludy 
who  knew  so  much  that  she  could  not  work? 
This  was  the  thought  that  puzzled  him.  But  he 
knew  how  difficult  it  was  for  people  to  work  in 
channels  marked  out  by  others.  So  he  said,  en 
couragingly : 

"  I  can  conceive  of  some  of  your  difficulties  in 
that  direction.  But  you.  have  other  friends  who 
are  not  Christians  ?  " 

This  being  said  inquiringl}',  Ruth,  after  a  mo 
ment  of  hesitation,  answered  it : 

"  I  have  one  friend  to  whom  I  have  tried  to 
talk  about  this  matter,  but  I  have  had  no  suc 
cess,  lie  is  very  peculiar  in  his  views  and  feel 
ings,  lie  agrees  to  every  thing  that  I  say,  and 
admits  the  wisdom  and  reasonableness  of  it  all, 
but  he  goes  no  further." 

"  There  are  a  great  many  such  people,"  Dr. 
Dennis  said,  with  a  quick  sigh.  He  met  many 
of  them  himself.  "They  are  the  hardest  class 
to  reach.  Does  your  friend  believe  in  the  power 
of  prayer  ?  I  have  generally  found  the  safest 


220        The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

and  shortest  way  with  such  to  be  to  use  my  in 
fluence  in  inducing  them  to  begin  to  pray.  If 
they  admit  its  power  and  its  reasonableness,  it  is 
such  a  very  simple  thing  to  do  for  a  friend  that 
they  can  hardly  refuse." 

"I  don't  think  he  ever  prays,"  Ruth  said, 
"  and  I  don't  believe  he  would.  He  would  think 
it  hypocritical.  lie  says  as  much  as  that  half 
the  praying  must  be  mockery." 

"  Granting  that  to  be  the  case,  does  he  think 
he  should  therefore  not  offer  real  prayer  ?  That 
would  be  a  sad  state.  Because  I  have  many 
hypocrites  in  my  family  whose  words  to  me  are 
mockery,  therefore  no  one  must  be  a  true 
friend." 

"  I  know,"  said  Ruth,  interrupting.  "  But  I 
don't  know  how  to  reach  such  people.  Per 
haps  he  may  be  jrour  work,  Dr.  Dennis,  but  I 
don't  think  he  is  mine.  I  don't  in  the  least 
know  what  to  say  to  him.  I  refer  to  Mr. 
Wayne." 

"  I  know  him,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  "  but  lie  is 
not  inclined  to  talk  with  me.  I  have  not  the  in 
timacy  with  him  that  would  lead  him  to  be  fa 
miliar.  I  should  be  very  certain,  if  I  were  you, 


Looking  for  Work.  221 

that  my  work  did  not  lie  in  that  direction  before 
I  turned  from  it." 

"  I  am  certain,"  Ruth  said,  with  a  little  laugh. 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  talk  to  such  people.  I 
should  feel  sure  of  doing  more  harm  than  good." 

"  But,  my  dear  Miss  Erskine,  I  beg  your  par 
don  for  the  reminder,  but  since  you  are  thrown 
much  into  his  societ}',  will  it  not  be  necessary  for 
you,  as  a  Christian,  to  talk  more  or  less  about 
this  matter?  Should  not  your  talk  be-  shaped  in 
such  a  way  as  to  influence  him  if  you  can  ?" 

"I  don't  think  I  understand,"  Ruth  said, 
doubtfully.  "Do  you  mean  that  people  should 
talk  about  religion  all  the  time  they  are  to 
gether?" 

"During  this  question  Dr.  Dennis  had  drawn 
his  Bible  toward  him  and  been  turning  over  the 
leaves. 

"Just  let  me  read  you  a  word  from  the  Guide 
book  on  this  subject :  *  Only  let  your  conversa 
tion  be  as  becometh  the  Gospel  of  Christ.'  '  Az 
he  which  hath  called  yon  is  holy,  so  be  ye  holy 
in  all  manner  of  conversation.'  *  Seeing,  then, 
that  all  these  things  shall  be  dissolved,  what 
manner  of  person  ought  ye  to  be,  in  all  holy  con- 


222         The  CKautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

vcrsation  anil  godliness?'  What  should  you  con 
clude  as  to  Christian  duty  in  the  mutter  of  daily 
conversation  ?  " 

Ruth  made  no  answer  to  this  question,  but  sat 
with  earnest,  thoughtful  look  fixed  on  her  pas 
tor's  face. 

"Who  follows  that  pattern?"  she  asked,  at 
last. 

"  My  dear  friend,  is  not  our  concern  rather  to 
decide  whether  you  and  I  shall  try  to  do  it  in  the 
future  ? " 

Someway  this  brought  the  talk  to  a  sudden 
lull.  Ruth  seemed  to  have  no  more  to  say. 

u  There  is  another  way  of  work  that  I  have 
been  intending  to  suggest  to  some  of  you  young 
ladies,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  after  a  thoughtful  si 
lence.  "It  is  something  very  much  neglected 
in  our  church  —  that  is  the  social  question.  Do 
you  know  we  have  many  members  who  complain 
that  they  are  never  called  on,  never  spoken  with, 
never  noticed  in  any  way  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  the  members," 
Rath  suid.  "  I  don't  think  I  have  a  personal  ac 
quaintance  with  twenty  of  them  —  a  calling  ac 
quaintance,  I  mean." 


Looking  for    Work.  223 

"That  is  the  case  with  a  greut  many,  uu<! 
It  is  a  state  of  things  that  should  not  exist. 
The  family  ought  to  know  each  other.  I  be 
gin  to  see  your  work  clearer ;  it  is  the  young 
ladies,  to  a  large  extent,  who  must  remedy  this 
evil.  Suppose  you  take  up  some  of  that  work, 
not  neglecting  the  other,  of  course.  *  These 
ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  have  Jeft  the 
other  undone,'  I  am  afraid  will  be  said  to  a  good 
many  of  us.  But  this  is  certainly  work  needing 
to  be  done,  and  work  for  which  you  have 
leisure." 

He  hoped  to  see  her  face  brighten,  but  it  did 
not.  Instead  she  said: 

"I  hate  calling." 

"  I  dare  say  ;  calling  that  is  aimless,  and  in  a 
sense  useless.  It  must  be  hateful  work.  But  if 
you  start  out  with  an  object  in  vie\v,  a  something 
to  accomplish  that  is  worth  your  while,  will  it 
not  make  a  great  difference  ?  " 

Ruth  only  sighed. 

"  I  have  so  many  calls  to  make  with  father," 
she  said,  wearily.  "  It  is  the  worst  work  I  do. 
They  are  upon  fashionable,  frivolous  people,  who 
cannot  talk  about  anything.  It  is  worse  martyr* 


224         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

dom  now  than  it  used  to  be.  I  think  I  am  pe 
culiarly  unfitted  for  such  work,  Dr.  Dennis." 

"  But  I  want  you  to  try  a  different  style  of 
calls.  Go  alone  ;  not  with  your  father,  or  with 
any  one  who  will  trammel  your  tongue  ;  and  go 
among  a  class  of  people  who  do  not  expect  you, 
and  will  be  surprised  and  pleased,  and  helped, 
perhaps.  Come,  let  me  give  you  a  list  of  per 
sons  whom  I  would  like  to  have  you  call  on  at 
your  earliest  opportunity.  This  is  work  that  I 
am  really  longing  to  see  done." 

A  prisoner  about  to  receive  sentence  could 
hardly  have  looked  more  gloomy  than  did  Ruth. 
She  was  still  for  a  few  minutes,  then  she  said: 

"  Dr.  Dennis,  do  you  really  think  it  is  a  per 
son's  duty  to  do  that  sort  of  work  for  which  he 
or  she  feels  least  qualified,  and  which  is  the  most 
distasteful  ?  " 

*'  No,"  said  Dr.  Dennis,  promptly.  "  My  dear 
Miss  Erskine,  will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  me 
the  work  for  which  you  feel  qualified,  and  for 
which  you  have  no  distaste  ?" 

Again  Ruth  hesitated,  looked  confused,  and 
then  laughed.  She  began  to  see  that  she  was 
making  a  very  difficult  task  for  her  pastor. 

"  I  don't  feel  qualified  for  anything,"  she  said, 


Looking  for  Work.  225 

at  last.  "  And  I  feel  afraid  to  undertake  any 
thing.  But  at  the  same  time,  I  think  I  ought  to 
be  at  work." 

"  Now  we  begin  to  see  the  way  clearer,"  he 
said,  smiling,  and  with  encouragement  in  his 
voice.  "  It  may  seem  a  strange  thing  to  you, 
but  a  sense  of  unfitness  is  sometimes  one  of  the 
very  best  qualifications  for  such  work.  If  it  is 
strong  enough  to  drive  us  to  the  blessed  Friend 
who  has  promised  to  make  perfect  our  weakness 
in  this  as  in  all  other  efforts,  and  if  we  go  out 
armed  in  His  strength  we  are  sure  to  conquer. 
Try  it.  Take  this  for  your  motto  :  *  As  ye  have 
opportunity.'  And,  by  the  way,  do  you  know 
the  rest  of  that  verse  ?  *  Especially  to  them 
who  are  of  the  household  of  faith.'  It  is  mem 
bers  of  the  household  that  I  want  you  to  call  on, 
remember." 

Ruth  laughed  again,  and  shook  her  head.  But 
she  took  her  list  and  went  away.  She  had  no 
more  that  she  wanted  to  say  just  then  ;  but  she 
felt  that  she  had  food  for  thought. 

"  I  may  try  it,"  she  said,  as  she  went  out,  hold 
ing  up  her  list,  "  but  I  feel  that  I  shall  blunder, 
and  do  more  harm  than  good." 

Dr.  Dennis  looked  after  her  with  a  face  on 


226         The  CJiautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

which  there  was  no  smile.  "  There  goes  one," 
he  said  to  himself,  "  who  thinks  she  is  willing  to 
be  led,  but,  on  the  contrary,  she  wants  to  lead. 
She  is  saved,  but  not  subdued.  I  wonder  what 
means  the  great  Master  will  have  to  use  to  lead 
her  to  rest  in  his  hands,  knowing  no  way  but 
his?" 


CHAPTER  XIV 


AN  UNABMED   SOLDIEB. 


iANY  things  intervened  to  keep  Ruth 
Erskine  from  having  much  to  do  with 
that  list  which  her  pastor  had  given  her.  She 
read  it  over  indeed,  and  realized  that  she  was 
not  familiar  with  a  single  name. 

"  What  an  idea  it  will  be  for  me  to  go  blun 
dering  through  the  city,  hunting  up  people 
whom  I  shall  not  know  when  I  find." 

This  she  said  as  she  read  it  over ;  then  she 
laid  it  aside,  and  made  ready  to  go  out  to  dinner 
with  her  father,  to  meet  two  judges  and  their 
wives  and  daughters  who  were  stopping  in  to\vn. 

During  that  day  she  thought  many  times  of 
the  sentences  that  had  been  read  to  her  out  of 

(227) 


228         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

that  plain-looking,  much-worn  Bible  on  Dr. 
Dennis'  study-table.  The  only  effect  they  had 
on  her  was  to  make  her  smile  at  the  thought  of 
the  impossibility  of  anything  like  a  religious  con 
versation  in  such  society  as  that  I 

"  How  they  would  stare,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"  if  I  should  ask  them  about  a  prayer-meeting  ! 
I  have  half  a  mind  to  try  it.  If  father  were  not 
within  hearing  I  would,  just  to  see  what  these 
finished  young  ladies  would  sf.y." 

But  she  did  not  try  it ;  and  the  evening  passed, 
as  so  many  evenings  had,  without  an  attempt  on 
her  part  to  carry  out  any  of  the  thoughts  which 
troubled  her.  She  looked  forward  to  one  bit  of 
work  which  she  expected  to  fall  to  her  share  , 
at  least  she  liked  to  call  it  work. 

That  card-party  to  which  she  hud  been  in 
vited  ;  she  would  be  expected  to  attend  in  com 
pany  with  Mr.  Wayne  ;  she  meant  to  decline, 
and  her  father  would  be  surprised  and  a  trifle 
annoj'ed,  for  it  was  at  a  place  where,  not  liking 
the  people  well  enough  himself  to  be  social,  he 
desired  his  daughter  to  atone  for  his  deficiency. 
But  she  would  steadily  refuse.  She  did  not 
ehriuk  from  this  effort  as  Flossy  did;  on  the 


An  Unarmed  Soldier.  229 

contrary,  she  half  enjoyed  the  thought  of  being 
a  calm  and  composed  martyr. 

But,  quite  to  her  discomfort,  the  martyrdom 
was  not  permitted ;  at  least  it  took  a  different 
form.  Mr.  Wayne  was  obliged  to  be  out  of 
town,  and  sent  profuse  regrets,  assuming  that,  of 
course,  it  would  be  a  sore  disappointment  to  her. 

Her  father  took  sufficient  notice  of  it  to  make 
one  or  two  efforts  to  agreeably  supply  his  place. 
and  failing  in  that,  assured  his  daughter  that 
rather  than  have  her  disappointed,  he  would 
have  planned  to  accompany  her  himself  if  he  had 
known  of  Mr.  Wayne's  absence  in  time.  The 
actual  cross  that  it  would  have  been  to  explain 
to  her  father  that  she  did  not  desire  to  go,  and 
the  reasons  therefor,  she  did  not  take  up  ;  but 
the  occurrence  served  to  annoy  her. 

Two  days  afterward  she  was  busy  all  the 
morning  with  her  dressmaker,  getting  a  special 
dress  ready  for  a  wedding  among  the  upper  cir 
cles.  She  had  been  hurried  and  worried,  and 
was  as  nearly  out  of  patience  as  her  calmness 
ever  allowed  her  to  be.  Still  she  remembered 
that  it  was  the  prayer-meeting  evening,  that  she 
should  see  Dr.  Dennis,  and  that  he  would  be 


230         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

likely  to  ask  her  about  the  people  on  that  list. 
She  ought  to  go  that  afternoon,  and  try  what 
she  could  do. 

Once  since  her  call  on  Dr.  Dennis  she  had 
met  him  as  he  was  going  down  Clinton  Street, 
and  he  had  turned  and  joined  her  for  a  few  steps, 
while  he  said : 

"I  have  been  thinking  about  another  friend  of 
yours,  that  I  should  be  very  glad  to  see  influ 
enced  in  the  right  direction.     His  sister  is  try 
ing,  I  presume  ;  but  other  people's  sisters  some 
times  have  an  influence.     Young  Mitchell,  the 
doctor's  son,  is  a  young  man  of  real  promise  ;  he 
ought  to  be  on  the  Lord's  side." 

"  You  are  mistaken  in  supposing  him  to  be  a 
friend  of  mine,"  Ruth  said,  with  promptness  and 
emphasis.  "  We  have  the  most  distant  speaking 
acquaintance  only,  and  I  have  a  dislike  for  him 
amounting  to  absolute  aversion."  There  was 
that  in  Ruth  Erskine's  voice  when  she  chose  to 
let  it  appear  that  said,  "  My  aversion  is  a  very 
serious  and  disagreeable  thing." 

"  Yes,"  the  Doctor  said,  quietly,  as  one  in  no 
degree  surprised  or  disturbed ;  "  yet  he  has  a 
soul  to  be  saved,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  died 
to  save  him." 


An  Unarmed  Soldier.  231 

There  was  no  denying  this ;  and  certainly  it 
would  not  look  well  in  her  to  say  that  she  had 
no  desire  to  have  part  in  his  salvation ;  so  she 
kept  silence.  But  there  followed  her  a  disagree 
able  remembrance  of  having  negatived  every 
proposition  whereby  the  doctor  had  hoped  to  set 
her  at  work.  She  decided,  disagreeable  as  it 
was,  to  make  a  vigorous  assault  on  those  fami 
lies,  thereby  showing  him  what  she  could  do. 

To  this  end  she  arrayed  herself  in  immaculate 
calling  attire  —  with  a  rustle  of  silk  and  a  soft 
ness  of  ruffle,  and  a  daintiness  of  glove  that  none 
but  the  wealthy  can  assume,  and,  in  short,  with 
that  unmistakable  air  about  every  thing  pertain 
ing  to  her  that  marks  the  lady  of  fashion.  These 
things  were  as  much  a  part  of  Ruth  Erskine  as 
her  hair  and  eyes  were.  Once  ready,  her  dress, 
perhaps,  gave  her  as  little  thought  as  her  eyes  or 
hair  did.  But  she  looked  as  though  that  must 
have  been  the  sole  object  of  thought  and  study 
in  order  to  produce  such  perfect  results. 

Her  preparation  for  her  new  and  untried  work 
had  been  none  of  the  best.  As  I  said,  the  morn 
ing  had  been  given  to  the  cares  of  the  dressmaker 
and  the  deceitfuluess  of  trimmings,  so  much  so 
that  her  Bible  reading  even  had  been  omitted, 


232        The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

and  only  the  briefest  and  most  hurried  of  pray 
ers,  worthy  of  the  days  when  prayer  was  noth 
ing  to  her  but  a  formal  bowing  of  the  head,  on 
proper  occasions,  had  marked  her  need  of  help 
from  the  Almighty  Hand.  These  thoughts  trou 
bled  her  as  she  went  down  the  Street.  She 
paused  irresolutely  before  one  of  the  principal 
bookstores. 

"  I  ought  to  have  some  tracts,"  she  said,  doubt 
fully,  to  herself ;  "  they  always  take  tracts  when 
they  go  district  visiting  ;  I  know  that  from  hear 
ing  Mrs.  W hippie  talk ;  what  is  this  but  a  dis 
trict  visiting ;  only  Dr.  Dennis  has  put  my  dis 
trict  all  over  the  city ;  I  wonder  if  he  could  have 
scattered  the  streets  more  if  he  had  tried ;  re 
spectable  streets,  though,  all  of  them ;  better 
than  any  Mrs.  Whipple  ever  told  about." 

Then  she  tried  to  select  her  tracts  ;  but  when 
one  has  utter  ignorance  of  such  literature,  and  a 
few  minutes  at  a  crowded  counter  in  which  to 
make  a  selection,  it  is  not  likelj  to  be  very  se 
lect.  She  finally  gave  up  any  attempt  at  choice, 
beyond  a  few  whose  titles  seemed  inviting, 
chose  a  package  at  random,  and  hastened  on  her 
way. 


An  Unarmed  Soldier.  233 

"  Mrs.  C.  Y.  Sullivan  "  was  the  first  name  on 
her  list,  and,  following  her  directions,  she  came 
presently  to  the  street  and  number.  A  neat 
brick  house,  with  a  modern  air  about  it  and  its 
surroundings ;  a  bird  singing  in  a  cage  before 
the  open  window,  and  pots  of  flowers  blooming 
behind  tastefully  looped  white  curtains ;  not  at 
all  the  sort  of  a  house  that  Ruth  had  imagined 
she  would  see. 

It  did  not  suit  her  ideas  of  district  visiting, 
crude  though  those  ideas  were.  However,  she 
rang  the  bell.  Having  commenced  the  task  she 
was  not  one  to  draw  back,  though  she  admitted 
to  herself  that  she  never  felt  more  embarrassed 
in  her  life.  Nor  did  the  embarrassment  lessen 
when  she  was  shown  into  the  pretty,  tasteful 
parlor,  where  presently  Mrs.  Sullivan  joined 
her. 

"  I  am  Miss  Erskine,"  Ruth  said,  rising  as  Mrs. 
Sullivan,  a  tall  woman  of  some  degree  of  dignity 
after  a  slight  bow,  waited  as  if  she  would  know 
her  errand.  Unfortunately  Ruth  had  no  errand, 
save  that  she  had  come  out  to  do  her  duty,  and 
make  the  sort  of  call  that  Dr.  Dennis  expected 
her  to  make.  Her  embarrassment  was  exces- 


234         The  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

sive  ?  What  could  she  do  or  say  next  ?  Why 
did  not  Mrs.  Sullivan  take  a  chair,  instead  of 
standing  there  and  looking  at  her  like  an  idiot  ? 

"  Do  you  get  out  to  church  every  Sabbath  ?  " 
she  asked,  suddenly,  feeling  the  need  of  saying 
something. 

Mrs.  Sullivan  looked  as  though  she  thought 
she  had  suddenly  come  in  contact  with  a  lu 
natic. 

"  Do  I  get  out  to  church  ?  "  she  repeated. 
"  That  depends  on  whether  I  decide  to  go  or 
not.  May  I  ask  why  you  are  interested  ?  " 

What  had  become  of  Ruth's  common  sense  ? 
Why  couldn't  she  have  said,  in  as  natural  a  way 
as  she  would  have  talked  about  going  to  a  con 
cert,  that  she  was  interested  to  know  whether 
she  enjoyed  such  a  privilege  ?  Why  couldn't 
she  have  been  herself  in  talking  about  these 
matters,  as  well  as  at  any  other  time  ?  Does 
any  one  know  why  such  a  sense  of  horrible  em 
barrassment  creeps  over  some  people  when  their 
conversation  takes  the  least  tinge  of  religion  — 
people  who  are  wonderfully  self-possessed  on  all 
other  themes  ? 

tt  Well,"  said  Ruth,  in  hast©  and  confusion,  "  I 


An  Unarmed  Soldier.  235 

merely  inquired ;  I  mean  no  offence,  certainly ; 
will  you  Lave  a  tract  ?  "  And  she  hastily  seized 
one  from  her  package,  which  happened  to  be  en 
titled,  "  Why  are  you  not  a  Christian  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,"  Mrs.  Sullivan  said,  drawing 
back,  "  I  am  not  in  special  need  of  reading  mat 
ter  ;  we  keep  ourselves  supplied  with  religious 
literature  of  a  kind  that  suits  our  tastes.  As  to 
tracts,  I  always  keep  a  package  by  me  to  distri 
bute  when  I  go  among  the  poor.  This  one 
would  not  be  particularly  appropriate  to  me,  as 
I  trust  I  am  a  Christian." 

Dear  me  I  how  stiff  and  proper  they  both  were  1 
And  in  their  hearts  how  indignant  they  both 
felt.  What  about  ?  Could  either  of  them  have 
told? 

"  I  wonder  what  earthly  good  that  call  did  ?  " 
Ruth  asked  herself,  as  with  glowing  cheeks  and 
rapid  steps,  she  made  her  way  down  the  street. 
"  What  could  have  been  Dr.  Dennis'  object  in 
sending  me  there  to  call  ?  I  thought  I  was  to 
call  on  the  poor.  He  didn't  say  any  thing  about 
whether  they  were  poor  or  not,  now  I  think  of 
it ;  but  I  supposed,  of  course,  that  was  what  he 
meant.  Why  need  she  have  been  so  disa- 


236         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

greeable,  anyway  ?  I  am  sure  I  didn't  insult 
her." 

And  I  tell  you  truly  that  Miss  Erskiue  did 
not  know  that  she  had  seemed  disagreeable  hi 
the  extreme  to  Mrs.  Sullivan,  and  that  she  was 
at  that  moment  raging  over  it  in  her  heart. 

Extremely  disgusted  with  her  first  attempt, 
and  almost  ready  to  declare  that  it  should  be  the 
last,  Ruth  still  decided  to  make  one  more  ven 
ture  —  that  inborn  dislike  which  she  had  for 
giving  up  what  had  once  been  undertaken,  com 
ing  to  her  aid  in  this  matter. 

Another  pretty  little  house,  white  and  green 
blinds,  and  plant  in  bloom ;  the  name  on  the 
door  and  on  her  list  was  "  Smith."  That  told 
her  very  little.  She  was  ushered  into  what  was 
evidently  the  family  sitting-room,  and  a  pretty 
enough  room  it  was;  occupied  just  now  by  three 
merry  girls,  who  hushed  their  laugh  as  she  en 
tered,  and  by  a  matronly  lady,  whom  one  of  them 
called  "  mother." 

Ruth  had  never  made  calls  before  when  she 
had  the  least  tinge  of  embarrassment.  If  she 
could  have  divested  herself  of  the  idea  that  she 
was  a  district  visitor  out  distributing  tracts,  she 


An  Unarmed  Soldier.  237 

would  not  have  felt  so  now  ;  but  as  it  was,  the 
feeling  grew  upon  her  every  instant.  Pretty 
little  Miss  Smith  had  decidedly  the  advantage 
of  her,  as  she  said,  promptly  : 

"  Good  afternoon,  Miss  Erskine  ;  mother,  this 
is  Judge  Erskine's  daughter;"  and  then  pro 
ceeded  to  introduce  her  friends. 

Now,  if  Ruth  could  have  become  unprofes 
sional,  all  might  have  been  well ;  but  she  had 
gone  out  with  a  sincere  desire  to  do  her  duty  ; 
so  she  took  the  offered  seat  near  Mrs.  Smith,  and 
said: 

"  I  called  this  afternoon,  at  Dr.  Dennis'  re 
quest,  to  see  if  there  was  anything  that  I  could 
do  for  you." 

Mrs.  Smith  looked  politely  amazed. 

"  I  don't  think  I  quite  understand,"  she  said, 
slowly ;  while  in  the  daughter's  bright  eyes 
there  gleamed  mirth  and  mischief. 

"  I  do,"  she  said,  quickly.  "  Dr.  Dennis  is 
very  kind.  Miss  Erskine,  I  am  very  anxious  to 
have  a  blue  silk  dress,  trimmed  in  white  lace,  to 
wear  to  the  party  next  week  ;  could  you  manage 
it  for  me,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  Caroline  1 "  spoke  Mrs.  Smith,  in  a  surprised 


238         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Horn*. 

and  reproving  tone,  while  Ruth  looked  her  in 
dignant  astonishment. 

"  Well,  mother,  she  said  she  called  to  see 
if  we  wanted  anything,  and  I  certainly  want 
that." 

"  There  is  some  mistake,"  Mrs.  Smith  said, 
speaking  kindly,  and  evidently  pitying  Ruth's 
dreadful  embarrassment.  "  You  have  mistaken 
the  house,  I  presume ;  our  name  is  such  a  com 
mon  one.  You  are  out  on  an  errand  of  charity, 
I  presume  ?  We  are  glad  to  see  you,  of  course, 
but  we  are  not  in  need  of  anything  but  friends. 
I  believe  you  attend  the  same  church  with  our 
selves  ;  we  ought  to  know  each  other,  of  course. 
So  we  shall  profit  by  the  mistake  after  all.  My 
daughter  is  a  wild  little  girl,  and  lets  her  sense 
of  fun  get  the  better  of  her  politeness  sometimes ; 
I  hope  you  will  excuse  her." 

What  was  to  be  said  ?  Why  could  not  Ruth 
get  rid  of  her  horrible  embarrassment  and  rally 
to  meet  this  kind  and  frank  greeting  ?  In  vain 
she  tried  to  command  her  tongue ;  to  think  of 
something  to  say  that  would  be  proper  under 
these  strange  circumstances.  How  had  she  mis 
understood  Dr.  Dennis!  Why  should  these 


An  Unarmed  Soldier.  239 

people  be  called  on  ?  Why  should  they  feel 
that  they  were  being  neglected  when  they  were 
in  need  of  nothing  ? 

It  was  all  a  mystery  to  her ;  and  the  world  is 
full  of  people  who  do  not  understand  a  sense  of 
loneliness,  whose  lives  are  so  full  of  friendships, 
and  engagements,  and  society,  that  they  imagine 
all  other  people  are  like  themselves  except  that 
class  known  as  the  poor,  who  need  old  clothes, 
and  cold  pieces,  and  tracts  I 

That  was  all  that  Ruth  Erskine  knew.  She 
could  not  recover  from  her  astonishment  and 
confusion ;  she  made  her  stay  very  short,  indeed, 
apologizing  in  what  she  was  conscious  was  an 
awkward  way  for  her  intrusion,  and  then  went 
directly  toward  home,  resolving  in  great  firmness 
that  she  had  made  her  last  calls  on  people  se 
lected  from  that  horrible  list. 

She  was  more  than  embarrassed ;  she  was  ut 
terly  dismayed  and  disheartened.  Was  there, 
then,  nothing  for  her  to  do  ?  It  had  been  a  real 
honest  desire  to  be  up  and  doing  which  had  sent 
her  to  Dr.  Dennis ;  it  had  been  a  real  cross,  and 
one  keenly  felt  to  take  up  this  work  about  which 
she  had  started.  What  an  utter  failure  I  What 


240         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

could  he  have  meant?  How  was  she  expected 
to  help  those  people  ?  They  needed  nothing ; 
they  were  Christian  people ;  they  were  pleas 
antly  circumstanced  in  every  way.  She  had  not 
the  least  idea  how  to  be  of  any  help  to  them. 
There  was  nothing  for  her  to  do.  She  felt  hum 
bled  and  sad. 

Yet  that  young  lady  was  joined  in  a  few  min 
utes  by  Nellis  Mitchell,  who  cordially  volun 
teered  to  shield  her  dainty  summer  toilet  from 
certain  drops  of  rain  that  began  to  fall,  and  so 
walked  six  entire  blocks  by  her  side,  pleasant 
and  genial  as  usual,  and  not  a  word  said  she  to 
him  about  the  great  topic  to  which  her  life  was 
consecraied.  He  even  helped  her  by  himself  re 
ferring  to  the  evening  meeting,  and  saying  that 
he  should  have  to  escort  Eurie  as  far  as  the  door 
if  this  rain  continued,  and  she  did  not  so  much 
as  think  to  ask  him  to  come  farther  and  enjoy 
the  meeting  with  them.  She  did  not  like  Nellis 
Mitchell,  you  will  remember. 

Also  that  same  evening  she  spent  an  houi 
after  prayer-meeting  in  conversation  with  her 
friend,  Mr.  Wayne,  and  she  said  not  a  single 
word  to  him  about  this  matter.  She  could  not 


An  Unarmed  Soldier.  241 

talk  with  him,  she  told  herself ;  he  did  not  un 
derstand  her,  and  it  did  no  good.  Some  time, 
when  he  was  in  a  less  complaisant  mood,  she 
could  do  something  for  him,  but  not  now.  She 
was  not  very  companionable,  however  ;  her  mind 
was  dwelling  on  her  afternoon  disappointment. 

"  It  was  the  most  horrid  time  I  ever  had  in  my 
life !  "  she  told  Marion,  after  going  over  an  ac 
count  of  the  experience.  "I  shall  not  be  caught 
in  that  way  again." 

And  Marion,  unsympathetic  girl  that  she  was, 
laughed  much  and  long. 

"  What  a  creature  you  are  !  "  she  said,  at  last. 
"I  declare,  it  is  funny  that  people  can  live  in  the 
world  and  know  so  little  about  their  fellow-mor- 
tals  as  you  and  Flossy  do.  She  knows  no  more 
about  them  than  a  kitten  does,  and  you  know  no 
more  than  the  moon.  You  sail  right  above  all 
their  feelings  and  ideas.  It  served  you  right,  I 
declare.  What  earthly  right  had  you  to  go  sail 
ing  down  on  people  in  that  majestic  fashion,  and 
asking  questions  as  if  they  were  Roman  Catho 
lics  and  you  were  the  priest  ?  " 

"  I  don't  see  what  in  the  world  you  mean  I  M 
Ruth  said,  feeling  exceedingly  annoyed. 


242        The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Some. 

"  Well,  my  dear  young  woman,  you  ought  to 
see  ;  you  can't  expect  to  get  through  the  Chris 
tian  world  even  without  having  a  due  regard  for 
common  sense.  Just  suppose  the  President's 
wife  should  come  sweeping  into  your  parlor,  ask 
ing  you  if  you  went  to  church,  and  if  you  would 
have  a  tract.  I  am  afraid  you  would  be  tempted 
to  tell  her  it  was  none  of  her  business." 

"  The  cases  are  not  at  all  parallel,"  Ruth  said, 
flushing  deeply.  *'  I  consider  myself  on  quite  an 
equal  footing  with  the  President's  wife  or  any 
other  lady." 

Whereupon  Marion  laughed  with  more  aban 
don  than  before. 

"  Now,  Ruth  Erskine,"  she  said,  "  don't  be  a 
goose.  Do  use  your  common  sense ;  you  have 
some,  I  am  sure.  Wherein  are  these  people 
whom  you  went  to  see  on  a  lower  footing  than 
yourself?  Granting  that  they  have  less  money 
than  you  do,  or  even,  perhaps,  less  than  I  have, 
are  you  ready  to  admit  that  money  is  the  ques 
tion  that  settles  positions  in  society  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XV. 
MARION'S  PLAN. 


WILBUR  I  Miss  Wilbur!  can't  we 
go  in  Miss  Lily's  class  to-day,  our 
teacher  isn't  here  ?  " 

"  Miss  Wilbur,  they  are  crowding  us  off  the 
seat ;  there  isn't  room  for  no  more  in  this 
class." 

"Miss  Wilbur,  sister  Nellie  can't  come  to 
day  ;  she  has  the  toothache.  Can  I  go  in  Kitty's 
class?" 

Every  one  of  these  little  voices  spoke  at  once ; 
two  of  the  owners  thereof  twitched  at  her  dress, 
and  another  of  them  nudged  her  elbow.  In  the 
midst  of  this  little  babel  of  confusion  the  door 


244         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

opened  softly,  and  Dr.  Dennis  came  in.  Marion 
turned  toward  him  and  laughed  —  a  perplexed 
laugh  that  might  mean  something  besides  amuse 
ment. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  he  asked,  answering  the  look 
instead  of  the  laugh. 

"It  is  everything,"  she  said,  quickly.  "  You 
mustn't  stay  a  minute,  Dr.  Dennis ;  we  are  not 
in  company  trim  to-day  at  all.  Unless  you  will 
do  the  work,  we  can't  have  you." 

"  I  came  to  hear,  not  to  work,"  he  said,  smil 
ing,  and  at  the  same  time  looking  troubled. 

44  You  will  hear  very  little  that  will  interest 
you  for  the  next  ten  minutes  at  least ;  though  I 
don't  know  but  you  would  better  stay  ;  it  would 
be  a  good  introduction  to  the  talk  that  I  want  to 
have  with  you  early  in  the  week.  I  am  coming 
to-morrow  after  school,  if  I  may." 

Dr.  Dennis  gave  the  assent  promptly,  named 
the  hour  that  he  would  be  at  leisure,  and  went 
away  wondering  what  they  were  accomplishing 
iri  the  primary  class. 

This  was  the  introduction  to  Marion's  talk  in 
the  study  with  Dr.  Dennis.  She  wasted  no  time 
in  preliminaries,  but  had  hardly  seated  herself 


Marion's  Plan.  245 

before  the  subject  cm  her  miiid  was  brought  for 
ward. 

"  It  is  all  about  that  class,  Dr.  Dennis.  I  am 
going  to  prove  a  failure." 

"  Don't,"  he  said,  smiling  at  her  words,  but 
looking  his  disturbance  ;  "  we  have  had  failures 
enough  in  that  class  to  shipwreck  it ;  it  is  quite 
time  we  had  a  change  for  the  better.  What  is 
the  trouble  ?  " 

"  The  trouble  is,  we  do  nothing.  Two-thirds 
of  our  time  is  occupied  in  getting  ready  to  do  ; 
and  even  then  we  can't  half  accomplish  it.  Then 
we  don't  stay  read)',  and  have  to  begin  the  work 
all  over  again.  Yesterday,  for  instance,  there 
were  three  absences  among  the  teachers ;  that 
means  confusion,  for  each  of  those  teachers  have 
seven  children  who  are  thus  thrown  loose  on  the 
world.  Think  how  much  time  we  must  consume 
in  getting  them  seated  somewhere,  and  under 
some  one's  care  ;  and  then  imagine,  if  you  can, 
the  amount  of  time  that  they  consume  in  saying, 
*  Our  teacher  doesn't  do  so,  she  does  *o.' ' 

"  What  is  the  reason  that  the  teachers  in  that 
room  are  so  very  irregular  ?  " 

44  Why,  they  are  not  irregular ;  that  is  as  Sun- 


246         The  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

day-school  teachers  rate  regularity.  To  be  sure, 
it  would  never  do  to  be  teaching  a  graded  school, 
for  instance,  and  be  as  careless  as  some  of  them 
are  about  regularity.  But  that  is  a  different 
matter,  of  course  ;  this  is  only  a  Sunday-school  I 
But  for  all  that,  I  think  they  do  as  well  as  the 
average.  You  see,  Dr.  Dennis,  there  are  twenty 
of  them,  and  if  each  one  of  them  is  present  every 
Sunday  in  the  year  save  three,  that  makes  a  good 
deal  of  regularity  on  their  part,  and  yet  averages 
absences  every  Sabbath  to  be  looked  after. 
Don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  I  see,  he  said,  smiling ;  that  is  a  mathemat 
ical  way  of  putting  it.  There  is  reason  in  it,  too. 
How  in  the  world  do  you  manage  when  there 
are  vacancies  ?  " 

**  Which  is  always,"  Marion  said,  quickly. 
**  There  has  not  been  a  Sabbath  since  I  have  had 
charge  when  all  the  teachers  were  present ;  and 
I  have  taken  pains  to  inquire  of  the  former  su 
perintendent,  who  reports  very  much  the  same. 
Isn't  it  so  in  all  schools,  Dr.  Dennis  ?  " 

"  Of  course  there  must  of  necessity  be  some 
detentions  ;  but  not  so  many,  probably,  as  there 
actually  are,  if  we  were  in  the  habit  of  being 


Marion's  Plan.  247 

very  conscientious  about  these  matters ;  still,  I 
don't  know  that  we  are  worse  than  others.  But 
you  haven't  told  me  how  you  manage  ?  " 

"  I  manage  every  way ;  there  is  no  set  way  to 
do  it.  I  stand  around  in  much  the  same  state  oi 
perplexity  in  which  you  found  me  yesterday. 
The  children  each  have  their  special  friends  who 
have  been  put  in  other  classes,  and  they  are  on 
the  qui  vive  to  be  with  them,  which  adds  not  a 
little  to  the  general  confusion.  Sometimes  we 
have  a  regular  whirl  about  of  seats,  enlarge  two 
or  three  classes,  and  crowd  some  seats  most  un 
comfortably,  leaving  others  empty ;  sometimes 
we  go  out  to  the  Bible-classes  for  volunteers  — 
and,  by  the  way,  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  find 
any.  I  wish  you  would  preach  a  sermon  on  that 
subject.  It  is  so  easy  to  say, '  Oh,  please  excuse 
me  ; '  it  requires  so  little  courage  to  do  it ;  and 
is  such  a  comfortable  and  unanswerable  way  of 
disposing  of  the  whole  matter.  At  the  same 
time  there  is  some  degree  of  excuse  for  the  refu 
sals.  Think  of  the  folly  of  setting  a  young  girl 
who  knows  nothing  about  little  children,  and 
has  made  no  preparation  to  teach  them,  beside 
half  a  dozen  little  restless  mortals,  and  bidding 


248         TJte  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Some. 

her  interest  them  in  the  lesson  for  ten  min 
utes.  She  doesn't  know  ho\v  to  interest  them, 
and  she  knows  she  doesn't,  and  the  fact  embar 
rasses  her.  Before  she  has  fairly  found  out  what 
she  is  expected  to  do  her  time  is  gone ;  for  it 
takes  a  wonderful  amount  of  time  to  get  ready 
to  work." 

**  But  these  young  girls  have  only  to  teach  cer 
tain  Scripture  verses,  and  a  prayer  or  a  hymn,  or 
something  of  that  sort  have  they  not?  One 
would  think  they  might  be  equal  to  that  with 
out  preparation." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  Marion  asked,  a  gleam 
of  fun  in  her  keen  eyes.  "  I  should  like  to  see 
you  try  it,  provided  you  have  no  better  mental 
caliber  to  assist  you  than  some  of  the  volunteers 
have.  Why,  there  is  a  right  and  wrong  way  of 
teaching  even  a  Bible  verse.  Do  you  know,  sir, 
that  you  may  repeat  over  words  to  children  like 
a  list  from  a  spelling  lesson,  and  they  will  get  no 
more  idea  from  it  than  if  it  were  a  French  sen 
tence,  and  will  be  able  to  commit  it  about  as 
readily?  If  I  had  children,  I  should  rebel  at 
their  being  taught  even  Bible  verses  by  novices. 
Why,  it  isn't  allowed  in  public  schools.  The 


Marion's  Plan.  249 

days  have  gone  by  when  anybody  is  supposed  to 
be  smart  enough  to  teach  children  to  drawl 
through  the  alphabet.  We  have  the  best  of 
trained  teachers  even  for  that  work,  why  should 
the  Sunday-school  not  need  them  even  more, 
infinitely  more  ? 

"Now  that  reminds  me  of  a  difficulty  which 
is  present  even  when  the  teachers  are  all  there. 
They  are  not  the  right  sort  of  teachers,  many  of 
them ;  they  do  just  such  work  as  would  not  be 
tolerated  on  week-days  by  any  board  of  trustees  ; 
they  whisper  to  each  other ;  sometimes  about 
the  music  which  they  are  practicing,  sometimes 
about  the  party  that  is  to  come  off  to-morrow. 
These  are  the  exceptions,  I  know  ;  but  there  are 
such  exceptions  in  our  school,  and  human  nature 
is  much  the  same  the  world  over.  I  presume 
they  are  everywhere  ;  at  any  rate,  we  have  to 
deal  just  now  with  our  school,  and  I  know  they 
are  there. 

"  Dr.  Dennis,  there  are  at  least  seven  of  those 
twenty  teachers  in  my  room  who  ought  to  be  in 
good,  solid,  earnest  working  Bible  classes,  get 
ting  faith  for  help  every  Sunday  ;  getting  ideaa 
that  shall  make  them  of  use  in  the  world,  instead 


250        Th«  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

of  frittering  their  time  away  on  what  at  best, 
seems  to  them  but  a  very  mechanical  work, 
teaching  some  little  children  to  repeat  the  Twen 
ty-third  Psalm,  or  to  say  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
The  very  fact  that  they  do  not  recognize  the 
dignity  of  such  work  unfits  them  for  it ;  and  the 
fact  that  they  have  no  lesson  to  teach,  I  mean  no 
lesson  which  they  have  to  prepare  carefully,  ex 
cuses  them  from  any  attempt  at  Bible  study." 

"  I  believe  you  would  make  an  excellent  lec 
turer,  if  you  were  to  take  the  field  on  a  subject 
that  interested  you."  This  was  Dr.  Dennis' 
most  irrelevant  answer  to  Marion's  eager  words. 
She  was  not  to  be  thrown  off  her  theme. 

"  Then  I  shall  try  it,  perhaps,  on  this  very  sub 
ject,  for  it  certainly  interests  me  wonderfully. 
Indeed,  I  am  practicing  now,  with  you  for  my 
audience." 

"  Don't  think  I  am  not  interested,  for  I  am," 
he  said,  returning  to  gravity  and  anxiety  on  the 
instant.  "  I  see  the  subject  to  be  full  of  per 
plexities  ;  the  class  has  seemed  a  bewildering 
one  ;  the  idea  of  putting  the  babies  away  alone 
in  their  own  room  fitted  up  for  the  purpose,  and 
feeding  them  with  milk  until  they  are  old 


Marion's  Plan.  251 

enough  to  bear  strong  meat,  has  been  something 
of  a  hobby  with  me.  I  like  it  theoretically,  but 
I  confess  to  you  that  I  Lave  never  been  able  to 
enjoy  its  practical  workings  in  our  school." 

"  I  don't  wonder,"  Marion  said,  with  energy. 
"  It  works  most  distressingly.  I  am  coming  to 
the  very  pith  of  my  lecture  now,  which  is  this : 
I  have  been  teaching  school  for  more  than  seven 
years.  I  have  taught  all  sorts  and  sizes  of  pu 
pils.  I  had  a  fancy  that  I  could  manage  almost 
anything  in  that  line,  believing  that  I  had  been 
through  experiences  varied  enough  to  serve  me 
in  whatever  line  I  could  need,  but  I  have  found 
myself  mistaken  ;  I  have  found  a  work  now  that 
I  can't  accomplish.  Mind  you,  I  don't  say  that 
no  one  can  do  it ;  I  am  not  quite  so  egotistic  as 
that.  If  I  do  lecture,  I  have  only  to  say  that 
my  teaching  in  that  room  is  a  failure,  I  can't  do 
it,  and  I  mean  to  give  it  up." 

"  Don't,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  nervously.  u  You 
will  be  the  third  one  in  a  year's  time." 

"  I  don't  wonder.  I  wonder  that  they  are 
dive." 

"  But,  Miss  Wilbur,  you  are  a  dark  and  gloomy 
lecturer.  When  you  demolish  air  castles,  have 


252        The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

you  nothing  to  build  up  in  their  places  ?  Would 
you  send  the  babies  back  into  the  main  room 
again,  to  be  worn  out  with  quiet  and  lack  of  mo 
tion  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  I  like  the  baby-room  plan 
as  well  as  any  mortal ;  and  I  have  a  remed}' 
which  it  seems  to  me  would  arrange  the  whole 
thing.  Of  course  it  seems  so  to  me  ;  we  always 
like  our  own  ways.  The  truth  is,  Dr.  Dennis,  I 
like  nurseries,  and  think  they  ought  to  be  main 
tained  ;  but  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  too  many 
mothers  there." 

"  Just  what,  in  plain  English,  would  you  do, 
my  friend,  if  you  were  commander-in-chief  of 
the  whole  matter,  and  all  we  had  to  do  was  to 
obey  you  ?  " 

u  It  isn't  at  all  modest  to  tell,"  Marion  said, 
laughing,  "  but  it  is  true.  I  would  banish  every 
one  of  those  twenty  teachers,  and  reign  alone  in 
my  glory.  No  I  wouldn't  either.  I  would  pick 
out  the  very  best  one  among  them,  and  train  her 
for  an  assistant." 

"  And  manage  the  whole  number  }rourself  !  " 

44  Why  not  ?  There  are  only  a  hundred  of 
them,  and  I  have  managed  that  number  for  six 


Marion's  Plan.  253 

hours  a  day,  five  days  in  a  week,  without  diffi 
culty." 

"  Well,  now,  let  me  see  just  what  you  think 
you  gain." 

"  It  would  take  too  long  to  tell.  In  my  own 
opinion,  I  gain  almost  everything.  But,  in  the 
first  place,  let  me  suppose  a  case.  We  have  one 
good  teacher,  we  will  say,  in  that  class,  who 
knows  just  what  she  is  about,  and  comes  pre 
pared  to  be  about  it.  She  has,  say,  two  assis 
tants,  each  carefully  trained  to  a  certain  work ; 
each  understanding  that  in  the  event  of  the  de 
tention  of  the  leader  one  of  them  will  be  called 
on  to  teach  the  class,  each  pledging  herself  to 
notify  the  other  of  necessary  absences.  Don't 
you  see  that  it  will  rarely,  if  ever,  happen  that 
one  of  the  three  cannot  be  at  her  post  ?  The 
very  sense  of  importance  and  responsibility  at 
tached  to  their  office  will  lessen  the  chance  of 
absence,  while  one  teacher  in  twenty  is  almost 
sure  to  be  away.  Then  we  have  those  young 
girls  in  their  places  in  the  Bible  class  learning  to 
be  teachers  indeed." 

"  But,  Miss  Wilbur,  would  not  such  a  work  be 
very  hard  for  the  leader  ?  " 


254        The  Chaatauqua  Girls  at  Home* 

"  Why  harder  than  the  present  system  in  our 
school?  I  think,  mind  you,  that  it  wouldn't  be 
nearly  so  hard.  But,  for  the  sake  of  the  argu 
ment,  I  will  say,  Why  any  harder  ?  Why  can 
not  her  one  assistant  relieve  her  in  just  the  same 
way  that  the  other  twenty  are  supposed  to  do 
now  ?  Is  there  any  known  reason  why  a  hun 
dred  children  cannot  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer 
together  as  well  as  have  a  lesson  taught  them 
together  ?  Children  like  it,  I  assure  you  ;  there 
is  an  enthusiasm  in  numbers  ;  they  would  much 
rather  speak  aloud  and  in  beautiful  unison,  as 
they  can  be  trained  to  do,  than  to  speak  so  low 
that  the  recitation  loses  half  its  beauty,  because 
they  must  not  disturb  others. 

"  Then,  I  don't  know  how  it  is  with  other 
teachers,  but,  theoretically,  you  may  plan  out 
the  work  of  these  young  teachers  as  much  as  you 
please,  and,  practically,  they  will  do  very  much 
as  they  please  ;  and  it  is  a  great  deal  harder  for 
me  to  sit  listening  to  a  sort  of  teaching  that  I 
don't  like,  and  know  that  I  am  obliged  to  be 
still  and  endure  it,  than  it  is  to  do  it  myself. 

"  The  idea  that  one  hour  of  work  on  the  Sab 
bath  is  so  fearfully  wearing,  is  in  my  humble 


Marions  Plan.  265 

opinion  all  nonsense  ;  those  who  think  so.  have 
never  been  teachers  of  graded  schools  six  hours 
a  day,  five  days  in  the  week,  I  don't  believe. 
However,  that  is  my  opinion,  you  know.  I  may 
be  quite  mistaken  as  to  theory ;  but  I  know  as 
much  as  this,  I  am  sure  I  could  do  the  teaching 
alone,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  can't  do  it  with 
twenty  helpers,  so  I  just  want  to  give  it  up." 

"  Don't  give  up  the  subject  yet,  please  ;  I  am 
interested.  There  is  an  argument  on  the  other 
side  that  is  very  strong,  I  think.  You  haven't 
touched  upon  it.  I  have  heard  a  good  deal  said, 
and  thought  it  a  point  well  taken,  about  the  per 
sonal  influence  of  each  teacher.  A  sense  of 
ownership  that  teachers  of  large  classes  cau 
hardly  call  out  because  of  their  inability  to  visit 
their  scholars,  and  to  be  intimate  with  theii 
little  plans,  and  with  their  home  life." 

Marion  did  a  very  rude  thing  at  this  point  — 
she  sat  back  in  her  rocking-chair  and  laughed. 
Then  site  said : 

"We  are  dealing,  you  remember,  with  our 
school.  Now,  you  know  the  young  ladies  in 
that  class.  What  proportion  of  them,  should 
you  imagine,  without  knowing  anything  about 


256         The  CJiautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

the  facts,  do  really  visit  their  pupils  during  the 
week  and  keep  themselves  posted  as  to  the  fam 
ily  life  of  any  of  them  ?  " 

A  faint  attempt  at  a  smile  hovered  over  Dr. 
Dennis'  face  as  he  said : 

"  Not  many  I  am  afraid.  Indeed,  to  be  very 
truthful,  I  don't  believe  there  are  five." 

"  I  know  there  are  not,"  Marion  said,  decid 
edly.  "And  my  supposition  is  that  our  school 
will  average  as  well  as  others.  There  are  excep 
tions,  of  course,  but  we  are  talking  about  the  av 
erage.  Now,  that  item  sounds  real  well  in  a 
lecture,  or  on  paper,  but  when  you  come  to  the 
practical  part  they  simply  don't  do  it.  Some  of 
them  know  no  more  how  to  do  it  than  kittens 
would,  or  than  Ruth  Erskine  knows  how  to  call 
on  the  second  stratum  of  society  in  her  own 
church." 

Whereupon  both  pastor  and  visitor  laughed. 
Dr.  Dennis  had  heard  of  Ruth's  attempt  in  that 
line. 

"We  have  to  deal  with  very  common-place 
human  beings,  instead  of  with  angels.  I  think 
that  is  the  trouble,"  Marion  said,  returning  to 
the  charge.  "  We  can  make  nice  rules,  and  they 


Marion's  Plan.  257 

look  well  and  sound  beautifully  ;  then  if  we  can 
carry  them  out  they  are  delightful,  no  doubt. 
But  if  we  can't,  why,  what  are  we  going  to  do 
about  it  ?  If  the  ladies  in  question  were  salaried 
teachers  in  the  day-school,  a  board  of  trustees 
could  come  together  and  dismiss  them  if  they 
did  not  obey  the  laws.  Who  thinks  of  such  a 
thing  in  the  Sunday-school  ?  It  is  like  calling 
all  these  teachers  together  for  a  teachers'  meet 
ing.  You  can  call  them  to  your  heart's  content ; 
I  know  you  can,  for  I  have  tried  it ;  and  if  there 
is  not  a  concert,  or  a  tea-party,  or  a  lecture,  or  a 
toothache  on  the  evening  in  question  same  cf 
them  will  come,  and  the  others  won't" 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THEORY  VERSUS  PRACTICE. 

[R.  DENNIS  sat  regarding  his  caller  with 
a  thoughtful  air,  while  she  sat  back  in 
the  rocker  and  fanned  herself,  trying  to  cool  off 
her  eagerness  somewhat,  and  feeling  that  she 
was  exhibiting  herself  as  a  very  eager  person  in 
deed,  and  this  calm  man  probably  thought  her 
impetuous.  She  resolved  that  the  next  remark 
he  called  forth  should  be  made  very  quietly,  and 
in  as  indifferent  a  manner  as  possible. 

"  Why  should  not  the  primary  room  be  classi 
fied  as  well  as  the  main  department  ?  "  he  asked, 
at  last. 

(258) 


Theory  Versus  Practice.  259 

To  Marion  there  was  so  much  that  was  ab 
surd  involved  in  the  question  that  it  put  her  in 
difference  to  flight  at  once. 

"  Why  should  there  be  a  separate  room  at  all 
if  they  are  to  be  so  classified  ?  Why  not  keep 
them  in  the  regular  department,  under  the  su 
perintendent's  eye,  and  where  they  can  have  the 
benefit  of  the  pastor's  remarks?  " 

"  Because  while  they  are  so  young  they  need 
more  freedom  than  can  be  given  them  in  the 
main  room.  They  need  to  be  allowed  to  talk 
aloud,  and  to  sing  frequently,  and  to  repeat  in 
concert." 

"  Precisely ;  and  they  do  not  need  to  be  set 
down  in  corners,  to  be  whispered  at  for  a  fe\v 
minutes.  Besides,  Dr.  Dennis,  don't  you  think 
that  if  in  the  school  proper,  the  scholars  were  all 
of  nearly  the  same  age  and  the  same  mental  abil 
ities  —  I  mean  if  they  averaged  in  that  way  —  it 
would  be  wiser  to  have  very  large  classes  and 
very  few  teachers?" 

"  There  are  reasons  in  favor  of  that,  and  rea 
sons  against  it,"  he  said,  thoughtfully.  "  I  am 
inclined,  however,  to  think  that  the  arguments 
in  favor  overbalance  the  objections ;  still,  the  se- 


260         TJie  CTiautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

rious  objection  is,  that  a  faithful  teacher  wants 
little  personal  talks  with  her  pupils,  and  will 
contrive  to  be  personal  in  a  way  that  she  cannot 
do  so  well  in  a  large  class." 

"  That  is  true,"  Marion  said,  as  one  yields  a 
point  that  is  new  to  her,  and  that  strikes  her  as 
being  sensible.  "  But  the  same  objection  cannot 
be  made  in  the  primary  classes,  because  little 
children  are  innocent  and  full  of  faith  and  frank 
ness.  There  is  no  need  of  special  privacy  when 
you  talk  with  them  on  religious  topics ;  they 
would  just  as  soon  have  all  the  world  know  that 
they  want  to  love  and  serve  Jesus  as  not ;  they 
are  not  a  bit  ashamed  of  it ;  it  is  not  until  they 
grow  older,  and  the  influences  of  silent  tongues 
on  that  subject  all  around  them  have  had  their 
effect,  that  they  need  to  be  approached  with 
such  caution." 

"  How  is  it  that  you  are  so  much  at  home  in 
these  matters,  Miss  Wilbur?  For  one  who  has 
been  a  Christian  but  a  few  weeks  you  amaze 
me." 

Marion  laughed  and  flushed,  and  felt  the  first 
tinge  of  embarrassment  that  had  troubled  her 
since  the  talk  began. 


Theory  Versus  Practice.  261 

"Why,**  she  said,  hesitatingly,  "I  suppose, 
perhaps,  I  have  common  sense,  and  see  no  rea 
son  why  it  should  be  smothered  when  one  is  talk 
ing  about  such  matters.  People's  brains  are  not 
made  over  when  they  are  converted.  The  same 
class  of  rules  apply  to  them,  I  suppose,  that  ap 
plied  before." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  a  majority  of  people 
thought  that  common  sense  had  nothing  to  do 
with  religion,"  he  said,  laughing  ;  and  that  is 
what  makes  us  silly  and  sentimental  when  we 
try  to  talk  about  it.  In  our  effort  to  be  solemn, 
and  suit  our  words  to  the  theme,  we  are  unnatu 
ral.  But  your  statement  with  regard  to  the 
little  children  is  true  ;  I  have  often  observed  it.'* 

"  That  other  point,  about  visiting,  was  the  one 
that  troubled  me,"  Marion  said.  "  It  doesn't  an 
nihilate  it  to  say  that  teachers  don't  visit ;  they 
don't,  to  be  sure,  with  here  and  there  a  delight 
ful  exception.  My  experience  on  this  matter, 
as  well  as  on  several  other  matters  connected 
with  the  subject,  reaches  beyond  these  fen 
weeks  of  personal  experience.  I  have  had  my 
eyes  very  wide  open ;  I  was  alive  to  inconsisten 
cies  wherever  I  found  them  ;  the  world  and  the 


262         The  Chauiauqua  G-irls  at  Some. 

church,  and  especially  the  Sunday-school,  seemed 
to  me  to  be  full  of  professions  without  any  prac 
tice.  I  rather  enjoyed  finding  such  flaws.  Why 
I  thought  the  thin  spots  in  other  people's  gar 
ments  would  keep  me  any  warmer,  I  am  sure  I 
don't  know  j  but  I  was  fond  of  bringing  them 
to  the  surface. 

"  Still,  because  a  duty  isn't  done  is  no  sign  that 
it  cannot  be.  Of  course  a  teacher  with  six  pupils 
could  visit  them  frequently,  while  one  with  a 
a  hundred  could  do  it  but  rarely  ;  and  yet,  sys 
tematic  effort  would  accomplish  a  great  deal  in 
that  direction,  it  seems  to  me.  1  don't  know 
why  we  should  have  more  than  fifty  people  in 
our  churches;  certainly  the  pastor  could  visit 
them  much  more  frequently,  and  keep  a  better 
oversight,  than  when  he  had  eight  hundred,  as 
you  have ;  yet  we  don't  think  it  the  best  way 
after  all.  We  recognize  the  enthusiasm  of  num 
bers  and  the  necessity  for  economizing  good 
workers  so  long  as  the  field  for  work  is  so  large. 

"But  I  know  a  way  in  which  a  strong  per 
sonal  influence  could  be  kept  over  even  a  hun 
dred  children ;  by  keeping  watch  for  the  sick 
and  sorrowirg  in  their  homes,  and  establishing 


Theory   Versus  Practise.  263 

an  intimacy  there,  and  by  making  a  gathering  of 
some  sort,  say  twice  a  year,  or  oftener,  if  a  per 
son  could,  and  giving  the  day  to  them  ;  and, 
well,  in  a  hundred  different  ways  that  I  will  not 
take  your  time  to  speak  of ;  only  we  teachers  of 
day-schools  know  that  we  can  make  our  influ 
ence  far  reaching,  even  when  our  numbers  are 
large ;  and  we  know  that  there  is  such  an  influ 
ence  in  numbers  and  in  disciplined  action,  that, 
other  things  being  equal,  we  can  teach  mathe 
matics  to  a  class  of  fifty  better  than  we  can  to  a 
class  of  five ;  and  if  mathematics,  why  not  the 
Lord's  Prayer  ? 

"  Now  I  have  relieved  my  mind  on  this  sub 
ject,"  she  added,  laughing,  as  she  arose,  "  and  I 
feel  a  good  deal  better.  Mind,  I  haven't  said  at 
all  that  the  present  system  cannot  be  carried  out 
successfully ;  I  only  say  that  I  can't  do  it.  I 
have  tried  it  and  failed ;  it  is  not  according  to 
my  way  of  working." 

"  But  the  remedy,  my  dear  friend ;  in  our 
class,  for  instance.  Suppose  we  wanted  to  reor 
ganize,  what  would  we  do  with  the  teachers  in 
rule  at  present  ?  " 

Marion  dropped  back  again  into  her  chair  with 


264         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Some. 

a  dismayed  little  laugh  and  an  expressive  shrug 
of  her  shapely  shoulders. 

"Now  you  have  touched  a  vital  difficulty," 
she  said.  "  I  don't  pretend  to  be  able  to  help 
people  out  of  a  scrape  like  that.  Having  gotten 
themselves  in,  they  must  get  out  the  best  way 
they  can,  if  there  is  any  way." 

"  I  am  surprised  that  you  do  not  suggest  that 
they  be  unceremoniously  informed  that  their  ser 
vices  are  not  needed,  and  advise  them  to  join  a 
Bible  class,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  dryly.  "  That  is 
the  practical  and  helpful  way  that  the  subject  is 
often  disposed  of  in  our  conventions.  I  often 
wonder  if  those  who  so  suggest  would  like  to  be 
the  pastor  of  the  church  where  such  advice  was 
adopted,  and  undertake  to  heal  all  the  sores  that 
would  be  the  result." 

"  So  long  as  human  nature  is  made  of  the 
queer  stuff  that  it  is,  I  offer  no  such  remedy," 
Marion  said,  decidedly.  "  It  is  very  odd  that 
the  people  who  do  the  least  work  in  this  world 
are  the  most  sensitive  as  to  position,  etc.  No,  I 
see  the  trouble  in  the  way.  It  could  be  partly 
disposed  of  in  time,  by  sending  all  these  sub 
classes  out  into  the  other  school,  and  organizing 


Theory   Versus  Practice.  265 

a  new  primary  class  out  of  the  babies  who  have 
not  yet  come  in." 

"But  there  would  be  an  injustice  there.  It 
would  send  out  many  babies  who  ought  to  have 
the  privileges  of  the  primary-room  for  some  time 
yet." 

"  And  there  is  another  difficulty  ;  it  would 
send  out  those  young  girls  as  teachers  of  the 
children,  and  they  are  not  fit  to  teach ;  they 
should  be  studying." 

"  After  all,"  he  said,  going  back  to  his  own 
thoughts,  instead  of  answering  her  last  remark, 
"  wouldn't  the  style  of  teaching  that  you  suggest 
for  this  one  woman  and  her  assistant  involve  an 
unusual  degree  of  talent,  and  consecration,  and 
abnegation  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Marion  said,  quickly  and  earnestly,  "  I 
think  it  would ;  and  I  believe  that  there  is  no 
teaching  done  in  our  Sabbath-school  that  is 
worthy  of  the  name  that  does  not  involve  all  of 
these  requirements;  especially  is  it  the  casein 
teaching  little  children  divine  truths  ;  one  might 
teacli  them  the  alphabet  without  positive  mental 
injury  if  they  were  not  fully  in  sympathy,  3ret  I 
doubt  that;  but  one  cannot  teach  the  Sermon  on 


266         The   Chautauqua   G-irls  at  Home. 

the  Mount  in  a  way  to  reach  the  child-heart  un 
less  one  is  thoroughly  and  solemnly  in  earnest, 
and  loves  the  souls  of  the  little  children  so  much 
that  she  can  give  up  her  very  self  for  them. 

"  This  is  my  theory ;  I  want  to  work  toward 
it.  That  is  one  of  the  strong  reasons  why  I 
think  two  or  three  teachers  are  better  for  a  pri 
mary  class  than  twenty ;  because  a  church  can 
generally  furnish  that  number  of  really  conse 
crated  workers  that  she  can  spare  for  the  pri 
mary  class,  while  to  find  twenty  who  can  be 
spared  for  that  room  one  would  need  to  go  to 
paradise  I  am  afraid.  Now  I  know,  Dr.  Dennis, 
that  such  talk  sounds  as  if  I  were  insufferably 
conceited ;  but  I  don't  believe  I  am  ;  I  simply 
know  what  I  am  willing  to  try  to  do ;  and,  to  a 
certain  extent,  I  know  what  I  can  do.  Why 
should  I  not  ?  I  have  tried  it  a  long  time." 

"  If  you  are  conceited,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  smil 
ing,  "  it  is  a  real  refreshing  form  for  it  to  appear 
in.  I  am  almost  a  convert  to  your  theory ;  at 
least  so  far  as  I  need  converting.  If  I  should 
tell  you  that  something  like  }rour  idea  has  always 
been  mine,  you  would  not  consider  mo  a  hypo 
crite,  would  you?" 


Theory  Versus  Practice.  267 

'tf 

"  If  you  think  so,  why  have  we  the  present 
system  in  our  school?  " 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  did  not  manufacture  the 
school;  it  is  as  I  found  it ;  and  there  are  those 
young  ladies,  who,  however  unfaithful  they  are 
—  and  a  few  of  them  are  just  that  —  do  not 
reach  the  only  point  where  they  could  give  posi 
tive  help,  that  of  resigning,  and  giving  us  a 
chance  to  do  better.  Besides,  they  are,  as  you 
say,  sensitive ;  they  do  not  like  to  be  called  to 
account  for  occasional  absences  ;  in  fact,  they  do 
not  like  being  controlled  in  any  way." 

"That  is  one  of  the  marked  difficulties,"  Mar 
ion  said,  eagerly.  "  Now  1  have  heard  people 
tallc,  who  led  you  to  infer  that  it  was  the  easiest 
tiling  in  life  to  mold  these  young  teachers  into 
the  required  shape  and  form  ;  that  you  had  only 
to  sweetly  suggest  and  advise  and  direct,  and 
they  sweetly  succumbed.  Now,  don't  their 
mothers  know  that  young  ladies  naturally  do  no 
such  thing  ?  It  is  very  difficult  for  them  to 
yield  their  opinions  to  one  whose  authority  they 
do  not  recognize  ;  and  they  are  not  fond  of  ad 
mitting  authority  even  where  family  life  sanc 
tions  it.  Oh,  the  whole  subject  is  just  teeming 


268         The   Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

with  difficulties ;  put  it  in  any  form  3-011  will,  it 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  mistake. 

"Where  you  give  these  young  ladies  the  les 
son  to  teach,  the  diverse  minds  that  are  brought 
to  bear  on  it  make  it  almost  impossible  for  the 
leader  to  give  an  intelligent  summing  up.  How 
is  she  to  discover  what  special  point  has  been 
taken  up  by  each  teacher?  As  a  bit  of  private 
experience,  I  think  she  will  be  a  fortunate  woman 
if  she  finds  that  any  point  at  all  has  been  reached 
in  many  of  the  classes. 

"  There  is  only  now  and  then  a  teacher  who 
believes  that  little  children  are  capable  of  un 
derstanding  the  application  of  a  story.  1  can't 
understand  why,  if  that  is  the  best  method  of 
managing  a  primary  class,  people  take  the  trou 
ble  to  have  a  separate  room  and  another  superin 
tendent.  Why  don't  they  stay  in  the  main  de 
partment?  I  always  thought  that  one  of  the 
special  values  of  a  separate  room  was  that  the 
lesson  may  be  given  in  a  distinct  and  natural 
tone  of  voice,  and  with  illustrations  and  accom 
paniments  that  cannot  bo  used,  where  many 
classes  are  together,  without  disturbing  some  of 
them. 


Tfieory  Versus  Practice.  269 

"  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  sub-teachers  are 
not  expected  to  give  the  lesson,  but  only  to 
teach  certain  opening  recitations,  then  you  have 
the  spectacle  of  employing  a  dozen  or  twenty 
persons  to  do  the  work  of  one.  Then  there's 
another  thing ;  our  room  is  not  suited  to  the 
plan  of  subdivision,  and  there  is  only  occasion 
ally  a  room  that  has  been  built  to  order,  which 
is—" 

"  On  the  whole,  you  do  not  at  all  believe  in 
the  plan  of  subdivision,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  laugh 
ing. 

And  then  callers  came,  and  Marion  took  he-r 
leave. 

"lam  not  quite  sure  whether  I  like  him  01 
dislike  him,  or  whether  I  am  afraid  of  him  just  a 
trifle."  This  she  said  to  the  girls  as  they  went 
home  from  prayer-meeting.  "  He  has  a  queer 
way  of  branching  off  from  the  subject  entirely, 
just  when  you  suppose  that  you  have  interested 
him.  Sometimes  he  interrupts  with  a  sentence 
that  sounds  wonderfully  as  if  he  might  be  quiz 
zing  you.  He  is  a  trifle  queer  anyway.  I  don't 
believe  I  love  him  with  all  the  zeal  that  a  person 
should  bestow  on  a  pastor.  I  am  loyal  on  that 


270        The  Chautauqua  Q-irls  at  Home. 

subject  theoretically,  but  practically  I  stand  in 
awe." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  can  think  him  sarcastic," 
Flossy  said.  "There  is  not  the  least  tinge  of 
that  element  in  his  nature,  I  think ;  at  least  I 
have  never  seen  it.  I  don't  feel  afraid  of  him, 
either ;  once  I  thought  I  should ;  but  he  is  so 
gentle  and  pleasant,  and  meets  one  half  way, 
and  understands  what  one  wants  to  tell  bet 
ter  than  they  understand  themselves.  Oh,  I 
like  him  ever  so  much.  He  is  not  sarcastic  to 
me." 

Marion  looked  down  upon  the  fair  little  girl 
at  her  side  with  a  smile  that  had  a  sort  of 
almost  motherly  tenderness  in  it,  as  she  said, 
gently : 

"  One  would  be  a  very  bear  to  think  of  quiz 
zing  a  humming-bird,  you  know.  It  would  be 
very  silly  in  him  to  be  sarcastic  to  you." 

Eurie  interrupted  the  talk: 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  prayer-meet 
ings?"  she  asked.  "Do  any  of  you  know  ?  I 
do  wish  we  could  do  something  to  make  them 
less  forlorn.  I  am  almost  homesick  every  time 
I  go.  If  there  were  more  people  there  the  room 


Theory  Versus  Practice.  271 

wouldn't  look  so  desolate.  Why  on  earth  don'l 
the  people  come  ?  " 

"  Constitutionally  opposed  to  prayer-meet 
ings;  or  it  is  too  warm,  or  too  damp,  or  too 
something,  for  most  of  them  to  go  out,"  Marion 
said. 

And  Ruth  added : 

"  It  is  not  wonderful  that  you  find  sarcastic 
people  in  the  world,  Marion.  The  habit  grows 
on  you." 

"  Does  it,"  Marion  asked,  speaking  with  sad 
ness.  "  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that.  I  really  thought 
I  was  improving." 

"  The  question  is,  can  we  do  anything  to  im 
prove  matters  ?  "  Eurie  said.  "  Can't  we  man 
age  to  smuggle  some  more  people  into  that  chapel 
on  Wednesday  evenings?" 

"  Invite  them  to  go,  do  you  mean  ?  "  Flossy 
said,  and  her  eyes  brightened.  "  I  never  thought 
of  that.  We  might  get  our  friends  to  go.  Who 
knows  what  good  might  be  done  in  that  way  ? 
What  if  we  try  it  ?  " 

Ruth  looked  gloomy.  This  way  of  working 
was  wonderfully  distasteful  to  her.  She  spec 
ially  disliked  what  she  called  thrusting  unpopu- 


172         The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

lar  subjects  on  people's  attention.  But  she  re 
flected  that  she  had  never  yet  found  a  way  to 
work  which  she  did  like ;  so  she  was  silent. 

Flossy,  according  to  her  usual  custom,  persist 
ently  followed  up  the  new  idea. 

"Let  us  try  it,"  she  said.  "Suppose  we 
pledge  ourselves  each  to  bring  another  to  the 
meeting  next  week." 

"  If  we  can,"  Marion  said,  significantly. 

"  Well,  of  course,  some  of  us  can,"  Eurie  an 
swered.  "You  ought  to  be  able  to,  anyway. 
There  you  are  in  a  school-room,  surrounded  by 
hundreds  of  people  who  ought  to  go ;  and  in  a 
boarding-house,  coming  in  contact  with  dozens 
of  another  stamp,  who  are  in  equal  need.  I 
should  think  you  had  opportunities  enough." 

"I  know  it,"  Marion  said,  promptly.  "If  I 
were  only  situated  as  you  are,  with  nobody  but 
a  father  and  mother,  and  a  brother  and  a  couple 
of  sisters  to  ask  —  people  who  are  of  no  special 
consequence  to  you,  and  about  whom  it  will 
make  no  personal  difference  to  you  whether 
they  go, to  church  or  not  —  it  would  be  some  ex 
cuse  for  not  bringing  anybody ;  but  a  boarding- 
house  full  of  men  and  women,  and  a  room  full  of 


Theory   Versus  Practice.  273 

scbool  girls !  —  consider  your  privileges,  Mariok 
Wilbur." 

Eurie  laughed. 

"  Oh,  I  can  get  Nell  to  go,"  she  said.  "  He 
nearly  always  does  what  I  want  him  to.  But  I 
was  thinking  how  many  you  have  to  work 
among." 

"  Six  people  are  as  good  to  work  among  as 
sixty,  until  you  get  them  all,"  Marion  answered, 
quickly. 

As  for  Ruth,  it  was  only  the  darkness  that  hid 
her  curling  lip.  She  someway  could  not  help 
disliking  people  who,  like  Nellis  Mitchell,  always 
did  what  they  were  asked  to  do,  just  to  oblige. 
Also,  she  dreaded  this  new  plan.  She  had  no 
one  to  ask,  no  one  to  influence.  So  she  said  to 
herself,  gloomily,  although  (knowing  that  it 
was  untrue  )  she  did  not  venture  to  say  it  aloud. 
She  gave  consent,  of  course,  to  the  proposition 
to  try  by  personal  effort  to  increase  the  number 
at  prayer-meeting.  It  would  be  absurd  to  object 
to  it.  She  did  not  care  to  own  that  she  shrunk 
from  personal  effort  of  this  sort ;  it  was  a  grief 
to  her  very  soul  that  she  did  so  shrink. 

"  Remember,  we  stand  pledged  to  try  for  one 


274         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

new  face  at  the  pra}^er-meeting,"  Eurie  said,  ua 
she  bade  them  good  night.  "  Pledged  to  try,  you 
understand,  Marion,  we  can  at  least  do  that, 
even  if  we  don't  succeed." 

"In  the  meantime,  remember  that  we  have 
our  Bible  evening  to-morrow,"  Marion  returned. 
"  You  are  to  come  bristling  with  texts  from  youi 
standpoint ;  it  will  not  do  to  forget  that." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  DISCUSSION. 

:ARION  went  about  her  dingy  room 
brushing  off  a  bit  of  dust  here,  setting  a 
chair  straight  there,  trying  in  what  ways  she 
might  to  brighten  its  homeliness.  She  was  a 
trifle  sore  sometimes  over  the  contrast  between 
that  room  and  the  homes  of  her  three  friends. 
Sometimes  she  thought  it  a  wonder  that  they 
could  endure  to  leave  the  brightness  and  cheer 
that  surrounded  their  home  lives  and  seek  her 
out. 

There  were  times  when  she  was  very  much 
tempted  to  spend  a  large  portion  of  her  not  too 
large  salary  in  bestowing  little  home-looking 
things  on  this  corner  of  the  second-rate  hoard- 

(275) 


276         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

ing-bouse ;  a  rocking-chair ;  a  cozy-looking, 
bright-covered  old-fashioned  lounge  ;  a  tiny  cen 
tre-table,  instead  of  the  square,  boxy-looking 
thing  that  she  had ;  not  very  extravagant  her 
notions  were,  just  a  suggestion  of  comfort  and  a 
touch  of  brightness  for  her  beauty-loving  eyes  to 
dwell  on;  but  these  homethings,and  these  bright 
things,  cost  money,  more  money  than  she  felt  at 
liberty  to  spend. 

When  her  necessary  expenses  of  books  and 
dress,  and  a  dozen  apparently  trifling  incidentals 
were  met,  there  was  little  enough  left  to  send 
to  that  far-away,  struggling  uncle  and  aunt, 
\vho  needed  her  help  sadly  enough,  and  who 
had  shared  their  little  with  her  in  earlier 
days. 

There  was  no  special  love  about  this  offering 
Df  hers ;  it  was  just  a  matter  of  hard  duty  ;  they 
Uad  taken  care  of  her  in  her  orphanhood,  a  grave, 
preoccupied  sort  of  care,  bestowing  little  time 
and  no  love  on  her  that  she  could  discover ;  at 
the  same  time  they  had  never  either  of  them 
been  unkind,  and  they  had  fed  and  clothed  her, 
and  never  said  in  her  presence  that  they  grudged 
it;  they  had  never  asked  her  for  any  return, 


The  Discussion.  277 

never  seemed  to  expect  any ;  and  they  were  reg 
ularly  surprised  every  half  year  when  the  remit 
tance  came. 

But  so  far  as  that  was  concerned  Marion  did 
not  know  it ;  they  were  a  very  undemonstrative 
people.  Uncle  Reuben  had  told  her  once  that 
she  need  not  do  it,  that  they  had  not  expected 
it  of  her ;  and  Aunt  Hannah  had  added,  "  No 
more  they  didn't."  But  Marion  had  hushed 
them  both  by  a  decided  sentence,  to  the  effect 
that  it  was  nothing  more  than  ordinary  justice 
and  decency.  And  she  did  not  know  even  now 
that  the  gratitude  they  might  have  expressed 
was  hushed  back  by  her  cold,  business-like 
words. 

Still,  the  remittances  always  went;  it  had  re 
quired  some  special  scrimping  to  make  the  check 
the  same  as  usual,  and  yet  bring  in  Chautauqua ; 
it  had  been  delayed  beyond  its  usual  time  by 
these  new  departures,  and  it  was  on  this  particu 
lar  evening  that  she  was  getting  it  ready  for  the 
mail.  For  seven  years,  twice  a  year,  she  had 
regularly  written  her  note  : 

AUNT  HANNAH  :  —  I  inclose  in  this  letter  a 


278         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  zt  Home, 

check  for .     I  hope   you   are  as  well  aa 

usual.  In  haste, 

M.  J.  WlLBUB. 

This,  or  a  kindred  sentence  as  brief  and  as 
much  to  the  point.  To-night  her  fingers  had 
played  with  the  pen  instead  of  writing,  and  at 
last,  with  a  curious  smile  hovering  around  her 
lip,  she  wrote  the  unaccustomed  words,  "  Dear 
Aunt."  It  would  have  taken  very  little  to  have 
made  the  smile  into  a  quiver ;  it  seemed  just 
then  so  strange  that  she  should  have  no  one  to 
write  that  word  "  dear  "  to  ;  that  she  should  use 
it  so  rarely  that  it  actually  looked  like  a  stranger 
to  her.  Then  the  writing  went  on  thus : 

"  I  hope  I  have  not  caused  you  discomfort  by 
being  somewhat  later  than  usual  with  your 
check.  Matters  shaped  themselves  in  such  a 
way  that  I  could  not  send  it  before.  I  hope  it 
will  be  of  a  little  help  and  comfort  to  you.  I 
wish  it  were  larger.  Give  my  re — love  to  Un 
cle  Reuben." 

The  "re"  was  the  beginning  of  the  word 
"  regards,"  but  she  thought  better  of  it  and 
wrote  "  love."  He  was  her  father's  brother,  and 


The  Discussion.  279 

the  only  relative  she  had.  Then  the  pen  paused 
again,  and  the  writer  gnawed  at  the  painted 
holder,  and  niused,  and  looked  sober  first,  then 
bright-faced,  and  finally  she  dashed  down  this 
line : 

"Dear  Aunt  Hannah,  I  have  found  my  fa 
ther's  Friend,  even  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He 
is  indeed  mighty  to  save,  as  father  used  to  say 
that  he  was.  I  have  proved  it,  for  he  has  saved 
me.  I  wish  you  and  Uncle  Reuben  knew  him. 
"  Yours  truly,  MABIOX." 

I  suppose  Marion  would  have  been  very  much 
surprised  had  she  known  what  I  know,  that  Aunt 
Hannah  and  Uncle  Reuben  shed  tears  over  that 
letter,  and  put  it  in  the  family  Bible.  And, 
someway,  they  felt  more  thankful  for  the  check 
than  they  had  ever  done  before. 

Marion  did  not  know  this,  but  she  knew  that 
her  own  heart  felt  lighter  than  usual  as  she  hur 
ried  about  her  room.  The  girls  came  before  she 
was  fairly  through  with  her  preparations  —  a 
bright  trio,  with  enough  of  beauty  and  grace  and 
elegance  about  them  to  fairly  make  her  room 
glow. 


280         The  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  "Some. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  Etirie.  "  We  have  run 
the  gauntlet  of  five  calls  and  a  concert,  and  I 
don't  know  how  many  other  things  in  prospec 
tive,  for  the  sake  of  getting  to  you." 

"  Did  you  come  alone  ?  " 

"  No ;  rny  blessed  Nell  came  with  us  to  the 
door,  and  most  dreadfully  did  he  want  to  come 
in.  I  should  have  let  him  in,  only  I  knew  by 
Ruth's  face  she  thought  it  awful ;  but  lie  would 
luive  enjoyed  the  evening.  Nell  does  enjoy  new 
things." 

"  There  is  no  special  sensation  about  Bible 
verses.  I  presume  they  would  have  pulled  on 
him  before  the  evening  was  over."  This  was 
said  in  Ruth's  coldest  tones. 

u  You  are  mistaken  in  that,  my  lady  Ruth.  I 
have  found  several  verses  in  my  search  that  have 
given  me  a  real  sensation.  Besides  which,  I 
have  proved  my  side  beyond  the  shadow  of  a 
reasonable  doubt,  and  I  am  very  anxious  to 
begin." 

Marion  laughed. 

" 1  dare  say  we  have  each  proved  our  sides  to 
our  entire  satisfaction,"  she  said.  "  The  ques 
tion  is,  which  side  will  bear  the  test  of  our  com* 


The  Discussion.  281 

Lined  intellects  being  brought  to  bear  on  it? 
Did  you  bring  your  Bibles,  girls  ?  Oh,  yes,  you 
are  armed.  Flossy,  your  Bible  is  splendid ; 
when  the  millennium  dawns  I  am  going  to  have 
just  such  a  one.  By  the  way,  won't  that  be  a 
blissful  time?  Don't  you  want  to  live  to  see  it? 
Eurie,  inasmuch  as  you  are  so  anxious  to  begin, 
you  may  do  so.  Let  us  '  carry  on  our  investiga 
tions  in  a  scientific  way,'  as  Prof.  Easton  says. 
Give  us  your  *  unanswerable  argument,'  and  I 
will  answer  it  with  my  unanswerable  one  on  the 
other  side  ;  then  if  Ruth  can  prove  to  us  that  we 
are  both  mistaken,  and  each  can  follow  her  own 
judgment  in  the  matter,  we  will  be  quenched, 
you  see,  unless  Flossy  can  give  a  balancing 
vote." 

"Well,  in  the  first  place,"  Eurie  said,  "1 
found  to  my  infinite  astonishment,  and,  of  course, 
to  my  delight,  that  the  Bible  actually  stated 
that  there  was  a  time  to  dance.  Now,  if  there 
is  a  time  for  it,  of  course  it  is  the  proper  thing 
to  do ;  that  just  settles  the  whole  question. 
How  absurd  it  would  be  to  put  in  the  Bible  a 
statement  that  there  was  a  time  to  dance,  and 
then  to  tell  us  that  it  was  wrong  to  dance  I " 


282         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

"  Eurie,  are  you  in  earnest  or  in  sport  ? n 
Marion  asked,  at  last,  looking  at  her  with  a  puz 
zled  air,  and  not  sure  whether  to  laugh  or  be  dis 
gusted. 

"  A  little  of  both,"  Eurie  said,  breaking  into  a 
laugh.  "  But  now,  to  be  serious,  there  really  is 
such  averse;  did  you  know  it?  I  am  sure  I 
didn't.  I  was  very  much  astonished ;  and  I 
think  it  does  prove  something.  It  indicates  that 
dancing  is  a  legitimate  amusement,  and  one  that 
was  indulged  in  during  those  times." 

"  Do  you  advocate  its  use  under  the  same 
circumstances  in  which  it  was  used  in  those 
times  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know.  Was  there  anything 
peculiar  in  its  use  ?  " 

"  Didn't  you  follow  out  the  references  as  to 
dancing?" 

"  No,  indeed,  I  didn't.  I  wish  I  had.  Does 
it  give  an  account  of  it  ?  That  would  have  been 
better  yet." 

"  It  would  have  enlightened  you  somewhat," 
Marion  said,  laughing.  "  If  you  had  been  on 
the  other  side  now,  you  would  have  been  sure  to 
have  followed  out  the  connection  as  I  did  ;  then 


The  Discussion.  283 

you  would  have  found  that  to  be  true  to  joui 
Bible  you  must  dance  in  prayer-meeting,  or  in 
church  on  the  Sabbath,  or  at  some  time  when 
you  desired  to  express  religious  joy." 

"  Pooh! "  said  Eurie.     ««•  Now  is  that  so  ?  " 

"  Of  course  it's  so.  Just  amuse  yourself  by 
looking  up  the  references  to  the  word  in  the 
concordance,  and  I  will  read  them  for  our  en 
lightenment." 

"  Well,"  said  Eurie,  after  several  readings,  "  I 
admit  that  I  am  rather  glad  that  form  of  worship 
is  done  away  with.  I  am  fond  of  dancing,  but  I 
don't  care  to  indulge  when  I  go  to  prayer-meet 
ing.  But,  after  all,  that  doesn't  prove  that  dan 
cing  is  wrong." 

"  Nor  right  ?  "  Ruth  said,  questioningly. 
"  Doesn't  it  simply  prove  nothing  at  all  ?  That 
is  just  as  I  said ;  we  have  to  decide  these  ques 
tions  for  ourselves." 

"  But,  Eurie,  did  you  content  yourself  with 
just  one  text  ?  I  thought  you  were  to  have  an 
army  of  them." 

"  What  is  the  use  in  that  ? "  Ruth  asked. 
"  One  text  is  as  good  as  a  dozen  if  it  proves  one's 
position." 


284         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

"  A  multitude  of  witnesses,"  Marion  said,  sig' 
nificautly  ;  and  added,  "  girls,  Ruth  has  but  one 
text  in  support  of  her  position  ;  see  if  she  has." 

"  Well,  I  have  another,"  said  Eurie.  "  Thf 
wisest  man  who  ever  lived  said,  '  A  merry  heart 
doeth  good  like  a  medicine.'  Now  I  am  sure 
that  advocates  bright,  cheerful,  merry  times,  just 
such  as  one  has  in  dancing  ;  and  there  are  dozens 
of  such  verses,  indicating  that  it  is  a  duty  we 
owe  to  society  to  have  happy  and  merry  times 
together;  and  a  simpler  way  of  doing  it  than  any 
1  know  is  to  dance.  We  are  not  gossiping,  nor 
saying  censorious  things,  when  we  are  dancing; 
and  we  are  having  a  very  pleasant  time  for  our 
friends." 

"  '  Is  any  merry,  let  him  sing  psalms,' "  quoted 
Marion.  "  Would  you  like  to  indulge  in  that 
entertainment  at  the  same  time  you  were  dan 
cing  ;  or  do  you  think  the  same  state  of  mind 
could  be  expressed  as  well  by  either  dancing,  or 
psalm-singing,  as  one  chose  ?  " 

"  Eurie  Mitchell,  you  are  just  being  nonsensi 
cal  1"  Ruth  said,  speaking  in  a  half-annoyed 
tone.  "  You  are  not  absurd  enough  to  suppose 
that  either  of  those  verses  are  arguments  lit  fa- 


The  Discussion.  285 

vor  of  dancing,  or  against  dancing,  or  indeed 
have  anything  to  do  with  the  subject?  What  is 
the  use  in  trying  to  make  people  think  you  are  a 
simpleton,  when  you  aren't." 

«  Dreadful  1 "  said  Eurie.  "  Is  that  what  I'm 
doing?  Now,  I  thought  I  was  proving  the  sub 
tle  nature  of  my  argumentive  powers.  See 
here,  I  will  be  as  sober  as  a  judge.  No,  I  don't 
think  those  verses  have  to  do  with  it ;  at  least 
the  latter  hasn't.  I  admit  that  I  thought  the 
fact  that  a  time  to  dance  was  mentioned  in  the 
Bible  was  an  item  in  its  favor  as  fur  as  it  went ; 
but  it  seems  I  should  rather  have  said  as  far  as  I 
went,  for  it  went  farther,  as  Marion  has  made 
me  prove  with  that  dreadful  concordance  of  hers. 
We  don't  own  such  a  terrible  book  as  that,  and 
I  have  to  go  skimming  over  the  whole  Bible  in 
a  distracting  manner.  I  just  happened  on  the 
verse  that  says  "  there  is  a  time  to  dance,"  and  I 
didn't  know  but  there  might  be  a  special  provi 
dence  in  it.  But  now,  frankly,  I  am  on  the  side 
thai  Ruth  has  taken.  It  seems  to  be  a  question 
that  is  left  to  individual  judgment.  There  is  no 
4  thus  saith  the  Lord '  about  it,  any  more  than 
there  is  about  having  company,  and  going  out  to 


286         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

tea,  and  a  dozen  other  things.  We  are  to  do  in 
these  matters  what  we  think  is  right ;  and  that, 
in  my  opinion,  is  all  there  is  about  it." 

"Then  you  retire  from  the  lists?"  Marion 
asked. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  I  am  just  as  emphatically  of 
the  opinion  that  there  is  no  harm  in  dancing  as 
I  ever  was.  What  I  say  is,  that  the  Bible  is  si 
lent  on  that  subject,  leaving  each  to  judge  for 
herself." 

"  *  As  he  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he,'  " 
quoted  Ruth.  "  That  is  my  verse,  one  of  them  ; 
and  I  think  it  is  unanswerable.  If  you,  Marion, 
think  it  is  wicked  to  dance,  then  you  would  be 
doing  a  wrong  thing  to  dance  ;  but,  Eurie,  be 
lieving  it  to  be  right  and  proper,  has  a  right 
to  dance.  Each  person  as  he  thinks  in  his 
heart." 

"  Then,  if  I  think  in  my  heart  that  it  is  right 
to  go  skating  on  Sunday,  it  will  be  quite  right 
for  me  to  go  ?  Is  that  the  reasoning,  Ruth  ?  " 

"  No,  of  course  ;  because  in  that  instance  you 
have  the  direct  command, '  Remember  the  Sab 
bath  day,  to  keep  it  holy.'  " 

"  But  who  is  going  to  prove  to  me  in  what  way 


The  Discussion.  287 

I  should  keep  it  holy?  I  may  skate  with  very 
good  thoughts  in  my  heart,  and  feel  that  I  am 
keeping  the  spirit  of  the  command  ;  and,  if  I 
think  so  in  my  heart,  why,  isn't  it  so  ?  " 

44  You  know  it  isn't  a  parallel  case,"  Ruth  said, 
slightly  nettled. 

44  Flossy,  would  you  speak  for  a  dollar  ?  '' 
Eurie  asked,  suddenly  turning  to  her.  She  had 
been  utterly  grave  and  silent  during  all  this  war 
of  words,  but,  to  judge  from  her  face,  by  no 
means  uninterested.  She  shook  her  head  now, 
with  a  quiet  smile. 

44 1  know  what  I  think,"  she  said,  "  but  I  don't 
want  to  speak  yet ;  only  I  want  to  know,  Ruth, 
about  that  verse ;  "  I  found  that,  and  thought 
about  it.  I  couldn't  see  that  it  means  what  you 
think  it  does.  I  used  to  think  in  my  very  heart 
that  joining  the  church,  and  trj'ing  to  do  about 
right,  was  all  there  was  of  religion ;  but  I  have 
found  that  I  was  wonderfully  mistaken.  Can't 
persons  be  honest,  and  yet  be  very  much  in  the 
dark  because  they  have  not  informed  them 
selves?" 

44  Why,  dear  me  I "  said  Marion,  "  only  see, 
Ruth,  where  your  doctrine  would  lead  you  I 


288         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

What  about  the  heathen  women  who  think  in 
their  hearts  that  they  do  a  good  deed  when  they 
give  their  babies  to  the  crocodiles  ?  " 

"  I  found  that  verse  about  Paul  persecuting  all 
who  called  on  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  he  says  he 
verily  thought  he  was  doing  God's  service." 
This  was  Flossy's  added  word. 

"  See  here,"  said  Eurie,  "  we  are  not  getting 
at  it  at  all.  I  haven't  any  verses,  and  you  have 
demolished  Ruth's.  The  way  is  for  you  and 
Flossy  to  open  your  batteries  011  us,  and  let  us 
prove  to  you  that  they  don't  any  of  them  mean 
a  single  word  they  say,  or  you  say ;  or  something, 
anything,  so  that  we  win  the  argument.  What  I 
want  to  know  is,  what  earthly  harm  do  people 
Bee  in  dancing?  I  don't  mean,  of  course,  going 
to  balls  and  mingling  with  all  sorts  of  people  and 
dancing  indecent  figures.  I  mean  the  way  we 
girls  have  been  in  the  habit  of  it,  Ruth  and 
Flossy  and  I.  We  never  went  to  a  ball  in  our 
lives,  and  we  were  never  injured  by  dancing,  so 
far  as  I  can  discover,  and  yet  we  have  done  a 
good  deal  of  it.  Now  I  love  to  dance  ;  it  is  the 
yery  pleasantest  amusement  I  can  think  of ;  and 
yet  I  honestly  want  to  get  at  the  truth  of  this 


The  Discussion.  289 

matter ;  I  want  to  learn  ;  I  don't  in  the  least 
know  why  churches  and  Christians  think  such 
dancing  is  wrong.  I  couldn't  find  a  thing  in  the 
Bible  that  showed  me  the  reason.  To  be  sure  I 
had  very  little  time  to  look,  and  a  very  ignorant 
brain  to  do  it  with,  and  no  helps.  But  I  am 
ready  to  be  convinced,  if  anybody  has  anything 
that  will  convince  me." 

"  Just  let  me  ask  you  a  question,"  Marion 
said :  "  Why  did  you  think,  before  you  were 
converted,  that  it  was  wrong  for  Christian  peo 
ple  to  dance  ?  " 

"  How  do  you  know  I  did  ? "  asked  Eurie, 
flushing  and  laughing. 

"Never  mind  how  I  know  ;  though  you  must 
have  forgotten  some  of  the  remarks  I  have  heard 
you  make  about  others,  to  ask  me.  But  please 
tell  me." 

"  Honestly,  then,  I  don't  know ;  and  it  is  that 
thought,  or  rather  that  remembrance,  which  dis 
turbs  me  now.  I  had  a  feeling  that  someway  it 
was  an  inconsistent  thing  to  do,  and  that  if  I 
was  converted  I  should  have  to  give  it  up,  and  it 
was  a  real  stumbling-block  in  my  way  for  some 
days.  But  I  don't  this  minute  know  a  single 


290         The   Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

definite  reason  why  I,  in  common  with  the  rest 
of  the  girls  and  the  young  men  in  our  set, 
felt  amused  whenever  we  saw  dancing  church- 
members.  I  have  thought  perhaps  it  was  preju 
dice,  or  a  misunderstanding  of  the  Christian 
life." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE  BESULT. 

OW,  what  I  want,"  said  Marion,  "is  to 
have  you  people  who  are  posted  answer 
a  few  questions.  You  know  I  am  not  a  dancer; 
I  have  only  stood  aside  and  looked  on ;  but  I 
have  as  high  a  respect  for  common  sense  as  any 
of  you  can  have,  and  I  want  to  use  some  of  it  in 
this  matter  ;  so  just  tell  me,  is  it  true  or  not  that 
there  is  a  style  of  dancing  that  is  considered  im 
proper  in  the  extreme  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  of  course  there  is,"  Eurie  said, 
quickly. 

"  Is  it  the  style  that  is  indulged  in  at  our  ordi 
nary  balls,  whei  e  all  sorts  of  characters  are  ad- 

(29J) 


292         The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

mitted,  where,  in  fact,  any  one  who  can  buy  a 
ticket  and  dress  well  is  welcome  ?  You  know 
you  were  particular  to  state  that  none  of  you 
went  to  balls  ;  are  these  some  of  the  reasons  ?  " 

"  My  principal  reason  is,"  Ruth  said,  with  an 
upward  curve  of  her  haughty  lip,  "  that  I  do  not 
care  to  associate  with  all  sorts  of  people,  either 
in  the  ball-room  or  anyxvhere  else." 

"  Besides  which,  you  are  reasonably  particular, 
who  of  your  acquaintances  have  the  privilege  of 
frequently  clasping  your  hand  and  placing  an 
arm  caressingly  around  your  waist,  to  say  noth 
ing  of  almost  carrying  you  through  the  room, 
are  you  not  ?  " 

Ruth  turned  toward  the  questioner  flashing 
eyes,  while  she  said : 

"  That  is  very  unusual  language  to  address  to 
us,  Marion.  Possibly  we  are  quite  as  high-toned 
in  our  feelings  as  yourself." 

"  Oh,  but  now,  I  appeal  to  your  reason  and 
common  sense;  you  say,  yourself,  that  these 
should  be  our  guide.  Isn't  it  true  that  you,  as  a 
dancer,  allow  familiarity  that  you  would  consider 
positively  insulting  under  other  circumstances  ? 
Am  I  mistaken  in  your  opinion  as  to  the  proper 


The  Result.  293 

treatment  that  ladies  should  receive  fom  gentle 
men  at  all  other  times  save  when  they  are  daii- 
cing?" 

"  It's  a  solemn  fact,"  said  Ernie,  laughing  at 
the  folly  of  her  position,  "  that  the  man  with 
whom  I  dance  has  a  privilege  that  if  he  should 
undertake  to  assume  at  any  other  time  would 
endanger  his  being  knocked  down  if  my  brother 
Nell  was  within  sight." 

"  And  it  is  true  that  there  are  lengths  to 
which  dancers  go  that  you  would  not  permit  un 
der  any  circumstances  ?  " 

"  Undeniable,"  Eurie  said  again.  "  Yet  1 
don't  see  what  that  proves.  There  are  lengths 
to  which  you  can  carry  almost  any  amusement. 
The  point  is,  we  don't  carry  them  to  any  such 
lengths." 

"That  isn't  the  whole  point,  Eurie.  There 
are  many  amusements  which  no  one  carries  to 
improper  lengths.  We  do  not  hear  of  their  being 
BO  perverted  ;  but  we  do  not  hear  of  them  in  the 
ball-room.  The  question  is,  has  dancing  such  a 
tendency  ?  Do  impure  people  have  dance-houses 
which  it  is  a  shame  for  a  person  to  enter  ?  Are 
young  men  and  young  women,  our  brothers  and 


294         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home, 

sisters  led  astray  in  them  ?  We  mustn't  be  too 
delicate  to  speak  on  these  things,  for  they  exist ; 
and  they  are  found  among  people  for  whom  the 
Lord  died,  and  many  of  them  will  be  reclaimed 
and  be  in  heaven  with  us.  They  are  our  breth 
ren  ;  can  they  be  led  away  by  the  influences  o£ 
the  dance  ?  If  we  are  all  really  in  earnest  in 
this  matter,  will  you  each  give  your  opinion  on 
this  one  point  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  it  is  unquestionable,"  Ruth  said, 
"  that  dance-houses  are  in  existence,  and  that 
they  are  patronized  by  the  lowest  and  vilest  of 
human  beings ;  but  the  sort  of  dance  indulged 
in  has  no  more  likeness  to  the  dances  of  culti 
vated  society  than  —  " 

"  Than  the  drunkard  lying  in  the  gutter  bears 
likeness  to  the  elegant  young  man  of  fashion 
who  takes  his  social  sips  from  a  silver  goblet 
lined  with  gold  at  his  mother's  refreshment  ta 
ble,"  Marion  said,  interrupting  her,  and  speaking 
with  energy.  "  Yet  you  will  admit  that  tho  one 
may  be,  and  awfully  often  is,  the  stepping  t  tone 
to  the  other." 

"  It  is  true,"  Eurie  said ;  "  both  are  true.  I 
never  thought  of  it  before,  but  there  is  no  deny 
ing  it." 


The  Result.  295 

As  for  Flossy,  she  simply  bowed  her  head,  as 
one  interested  but  not  excited. 

"  Then  may  I  bring  in  one  of  my  verses,  *  f*ure 
religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father 
is  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  the  widow  in 
their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world.'  Does  that  apply?  If  the 
world  can  carry  this  amusement  to  such  depths 
of  degradation,  and  if  the  elegant  parlor  dance  is 
or  can  be  in  the  remotest  degree  the  first  step 
thereto,  are  we  keeping  ourselves  unspotted  if 
we  have  anything  to  do  with  it,  countenance  it 
in  any  way  ?  Don't  you  see  that  the  question, 
after  all,  is  the  same  in  many  respects  as  the 
card-playing  one  ?  We  have  been  over  this 
ground  before. 

"  Suppose  we  grant,  for  argument's  sake,  that 
not  one  of  you  is  in  danger  of  being  led  away  to 
any  sort  of  excess,  and  I  should  hardly  dare  to  ad 
mit  it  in  my  own  case,  because  of  a  verse  in  this 
same  old  book,  *  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  stand- 
eth  take  heed  lest  he  fall ; '  but  if  it  should  be  so, 
let  me  give  you  another  of  my  selections  — 
rather,  let  me  read  the  entire  argument." 

Whereupon  she  turned  to  the  tenth  chapter  of 
First  Corinthians  and  read  St.  Paul's  argument 


296         The  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

about  eating  meat  offered  to  idols,  pausing  with 
special  emphasis  over  the  words,  "  Conscience,  I 
say,  not  thine  own,  but  of  the  other."  "  Did 
I  understand  you  to  say,  Eurie,  that  it  is  a  very 
general  belief  among  dancers  that  Christians 
are  inconsistent  who  indulge  in  this  amuse 
ment." 

"  It  is  a  provoking  truth  that  there  is.  Don't 
you  know,  Ruth,  how  we  used  to  be  merry  over 
the  Symonds  girls  and  that  jroung  Winters  who 
were  church-members  ?  Well,  they  made  rather 
greater  pretensions  with  their  religion  than  some 
others  did,  and  that  made  us  specially  amused 
over  them." 

"  Then,  Eurie,  wasn't  their  influence  unfortu 
nate  on  you?" 

"  I  am  not  on  your  side,  Mistress  Wilbur. 
You  should  have  more  conscience  than  to  keep 
me  all  the  time  condemning  myself  I " 

"  That  is  answer  enough,"  Marion  said,  smil 
ing.  "  I  am  only  asking  for  information,  you 
know.  I  never  danced.  But  in  the  light  of 
that  confession,  hear  this :  *  But  if  thy  brother  be 
grieved  with  thy  meat,  now  walkest  thou  not 
charitably  Pestroy  not  him  with  thy  meat  for 


The  Result..  297 

whom  Christ  died.  Let  not,  then,  your  good  be 
evil  spoken  of*  Isn't  that  precisely  what  you 
were  doing  of  the  good  in  those  church-members, 
Eurie  ?  Now  a  sophist  would  possibly  say  that 
the  argument  of  Paul  had  reference  to  food  of 
fered  to  idols,  and  not  to  dancing  ;  but  I  think 
here  is  a  chance  for  us  to  exercise  that  judgment 
and  common  sense  which  we  are  so  fond  of  talk 
ing  about. 

"  The  main  point  seems  to  be  not  to  destroy 
those  for  whom  Christ  died.  Does  it  make  any 
difference  whether  we  do  it  with  our  digestive 
organs  or  with  our  feet  ?  But  what  is  the  sophist 
going  to  do  with  this :  *  It  is  good  neither  to  eat 
flesh,  nor  to  drink  wine,  nor  anything  whereby 
thy  brother  stumbleth,  or  is  offended,  or  is  made 
weak.'  You  see  he  may,  or  may  not,  be  a  fool 
for  allowing  himself  to  be  led  astray.  St.  Paul 
says  nothing  about  that.  He  simply  directs  as 
to  the  Christian's  duty  in  the  matter." 

Ruth  made  a  movement  of  impatience. 

"  You  are  arguing,  Marion,  on  the  supposition 
that  a  great  many  people  are  led  astray  by 
dancing  ;  wheieas  I  don't  believe  that  to  be  the 
case." 


*298         The   Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

"  Do  you  believe  one  soul  ever  was  ?  " 

"  Wh}'-,  yes,  I  suppose  so." 

"  We  even  know  one,"  Eurie  said,  speaking 
low,  and  looking  very  grave. 

"  Do  you  believe  it  is  possible  that  another 
soul  may  in  the  next  million  years  ?  " 

"  Of  course  it  is  possible." 

u  Then  the  question  is,  how  much  is  one  soul 
worth  ?  I  don't  feel  prepared  to  estimate  it,  do 
you  ?  "  To  which  question  Ruth  made  no  reply 
"  There  is  another  point,"  Marion  said.  "  You 
young  ladies  talk  about  being  careful  with  whom 
you  dance.  Don't  you  accept  the  attentions  of 
strange  young  gentlemen,  who  have  been  intro 
duced  to  you  by  your  fashionable  friends  ?  Take 
Mr.  Townsend,  the  young  man  who  came  here 
a  stranger,  and  was  introduced  in  society 
by  the  Wagners,  because  they  met  him  when 
abroad.  Didn't  you  dance  with  him,  Eurie 
Mitchell?" 

"  Dozens  of  times,"  said  Eurie,  promptly. 

"  And  Flossy,  didn't  you  ?  " 

Flossy  nodded  her  golden  head. 

"  Well,  now  you  know,  I  suppose,  that  he  has 
proved  to  be  a  perfect  libertine.  Honestly, 


The  Result.  299 

wouldn't  you  both  feel  better  if  he  had  never  had 
his  arm  around  you  ?  " 

"  Marion,  your  way  of  saying  that  thing  is  sim 
ply  disgusting  I  "  Ruth  said,  in  great  heat. 

"  Is  it  my  way  of  saying  it,  or  is  it  the  thing 
itself?  "  Marion  asked,  coolly.  "  I  tell  you,  girls, 
it  is  impossible  to  know  whether  the  man  who 
dresses  well,  and  calls  on  you  at  stated  intervals, 
looking  and  talking  like  a  gentleman,  is  not  a 
very  Satan,  who  will  lead  away  the  pretty  guile 
less,  unsuspecting  young  girl  who  is  worth  his 
trouble ;  and  the  leading  often  and  often  com 
mences  with  a  dance ;  and  the  young  girl  may 
never  have  been  allowed  to  dance  with  him  at 
all  had  not  stately  and  entirely  unexceptionable 
leaders  of  society,  like  our  Ruth  here,  allowed  it 
first. 

"  It  is  the  same  question  after  all,  and  it  nar 
rows  down  to  a  fine  point.  A  thing  that  can 
possibly  lead  one  to  eternal  death,  a  Christian 
has  no  business  to  meddle  with,  even  if  he  knows 
of  but  one  soul  in  a  million  years  who  has  been 
so  wrecked.  In  all  this  we  have  not  even 
glanced  at  the  endless  directions  to  *  redeem  the 
time,'  to  be  '  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season, 


300         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

to 'work  while  the  day  lasts,' 'to watch  and  be 
sober.'  What  do  all  these  verses  mean  ?  Are 
we  obeying  them  when  we  spend  half  the  night 
in  a  whirl  of  wild  pleasure  ? 

"  The  fact  remains  that  a  majority  of  people 
are  not  temperate  in  their  dancing ;  they  do  it 
night  after  night ;  they  long  after  it,  and  are 
miserable  if  the  weather,  or  the  cough,  keeps 
them  away.  I  know  dozens  of  such  young  la 
dies  ;  I  have  them  as  my  pupils  ;  my  heart  trem 
bles  for  them  ;  they  are  just  intoxicated  with 
dancing ;  and  they  quote  you,  Ruth  Erskine,  as 
an  example  when  I  try  to  talk  with  them  ;  I  have 
heard  them.  Whether  it  is  wrong  for  other  peo 
ple  or  not,  as  true  as  I  sit  here  I  can  tell  you 
this :  I  have  two  girls  in  my  class  who  are  kill 
ing  themselves  with  this  amusement,  carried  to 
its  least  damaging  extreme,  for  they  still  think 
they  are  very  careful  with  whom  they  dance; 
and  you  are  in  a  measure,  at  least,  responsible 
for  their  folly.  You  needn't  say  they  are  sim 
pletons  ;  I  think  they  are,  but  what  of  it  ? 
*  Shall  the  weak  brother  perish  for  whom  Christ 
died?'" 

"Nell  made  a  remark  that  startled  me  a  little, 


The  Result.  801 

it  was  so  queer."  Eurie  said  this  after  the 
startled  hush  that  fell  over  them  at  the  close  of 
Marion's  eager  sentence  had  in  part  subsided. 
"  We  were  speaking  of  a  party  where  we  had 
beefi  one  evening  and  some  of  the  girls  had 
danced  every  set,  till  they  were  completely  worn 
out.  Some  of  them  had  been  dancing  with 
rather  questionable  young  men,  too  ;  for  I  shall 
have  to  own  that  all  the  gentlemen  who  get  ad 
mitted  into  fashionable  parlors  are  not  angels  by 
any  means.  I  know  there  are  several,  who  are 
supposed  to  be  of  the  first  society,  that  father 
has  forbidden  me  ever  to  dance  with. 

"  We  were  talking  about  some  of  these,  and 
about  the  extreme  manner  in  which  the  dancing 
was  carried  on,  when  Nell  said :  '  I'll  tell  you 
what,  Eurie,  I  hope  my  wife  wasn't  there  to 
night.'  'Dear  me  I '  I  said,  '  I  didn't  know  she 
was  in  existence.  Where  do  you  keep  her  ? ' 
He  was  as  sober  as  a  judge.  '  She  is  on  the  earth 
somewhere,  of  course,  if  I  am  to  have  her,'  he 
said ;  *  and  what  I  say  is,  I  hope  she  wasn't  there. 
If  I  thought  she  was  among  those  dancers,  I 
would  go  and  knock  the  fellow  down  who  in 
sulted  her  by  swinging  her  around  in  that  fash- 


302         The  CJiautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

ion.  I  want  my  wife's  hand  to  be  kept  for  me 
to  hold ;  I  don't  thank  anybody  else  for  doing 
that  part  for  me.'  " 

"  Precisely ! "  Marion  said.  "  It  is  considered 
unladylike,  I  believe,  for  people  to  talk  about 
love  and  marriage.  I  never  could  see  why ;  I'm 
sure  neither  of  them  is  wicked.  But  I  suppose 
each  of  us  occasionally  thinks  of  the  possibility  of 
having  a  friend  as  dear  even  as  a  husband.  How 
would  you  like  it,  girls,  to  have  him  spend  his 
evenings  dancing  with  first  one  young  lady  and 
then  another,  offering  them  attentions  that,  under 
any  other  ciroum stances,  would  stamp  him  as  a 
libertine  ? 

"  Whichever  way  you  look  at  this  question  it 
is  a  disagreeable  one  to  me.  I  may  never  be 
married  ;  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  I  ever  shall ; 
I  ought  to  have  been  thinking  about  it  long 
ago,  if  I  was  ever  going  to  indulge  in  that  sort  of 
life  ;  but  if  I  should,  I'm  heartily  glad  of  one 
thing  —  and,  mind,  I  mean  it  —  that  no  man  but 
my  husband  shall  ever  put  his  arm  around  me, 
nor  hold  my  hand,  unless  it  is  to  keep  me  from 
actual  danger ;  falling  over  a  precipice,  you 
know,  or  some  such  unusual  matter  as  that." 


The  Result.  303 

"  Flossy  hasn't  opened  her  lips  this  evening. 
Why  don't  you  talk,  child  ?  Does  Marion  over 
whelm  you  ?  I  don't  wonder.  Such  a  tornado 
as  she  has  poured  out  upon  us  1  I  never  heard 
the  like  in  my  life.  It  isn't  all  in  the  Bible  ; 
that  is  one  comfort.  Though,  dear  me  I  I  don't 
know  but  the  spirit  of  it  is.  What  do  you  think 
about  it  all  ?  " 

"  Sure  enough,"  Marion  said,  turning  to  Flossy, 
as  Eurie  paused.  "Little  Flossy,  where  are 
your  verses  ?  You  were  going  to  give  us  what 
ever  you  found  in  the  Bible.  You  were  the  best 
witness  of  all,  because  you  brought  such  an  un 
prejudiced  determination  to  the  search.  What 
did  you  find  ?  " 

"My  search  didn't  take  the  form  I  meant  it 
should,"  Flossy  said.  "  I  didn't  look  far  nor 
long,  and  I  did  not  decide  the  question  for  any 
body  else,  only  for  myself.  I  found  only  two 
verses,  two  pieces  of  verses ;  I  mean,  I  stopped 
at  those,  and  thought  about  them  all  the  rest  of 
the  week.  These  are  the  ones,"  and  Flossy's 
soft  sweet  voice  repeated  them  without  turning 
to  the  Bible : 

" '  Whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or  deed,  do  all 


304         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ; '  *  Whatsoever  ye 
do,  do  it  heartily,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto 
men.'  Those  verses  just  held  me  ;  I  thought 
about  dancing,  about  all  the  times  in  which  I 
had  danced,  and  the  people  with  whom  I  had 
danced,  and  the  words  we  had  said  to  each  other, 
and  I  could  not  see  that  in  any  possible  way  it 
could  be  done  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  or 
that  it  could  be  done  heartity,  as  unto  the  Lord. 
I  settled  my  own  heart  with  those  words ;  that 
for  me  to  dance  after  I  knew  that  whatever  in 
word  or  deed  I  did,  I  was  pledged  to  do  heartily 
for  the  Lord,  would  be  an  impossibility." 

An  absolute  hush  fell  upon  them  all.  Marion 
looked  from  one  to  the  other  of  the  flushed  and 
eager  faces,  and  then  at  the  sweet  drooping  face 
of  their  little  Flossy. 

"  We  have  spent  our  strength  vainly,"  she 
said,  at  last.  "  It  is  our  privilege  to  get  up 
higher ;  to  look  at  all  these  things  from  the 
mount  whereon  God  will  let  us  stand  if  we 
want  to  climb.  I  think  little  Flossy  has  got 
there." 

"  After  all,"  Eurie  said,  "  that  verse  would  cut 
off  a  great  many  things  that  are  considered 
harmless." 


The  Remit.  805 

"  What  does  that  prove,  my  beloved  Eureka  ?  " 
Marion  said,  quickly.  " « If  thy  right  hand  of 
fend  thee,  cut  it  off  and  cast  it  from  thee,'  is  an 
other  Bible  verse.  These  verses  of  Flossy'a 
mean  something,  surely.  What  do  they  mean, 
is  the  question  left  for  us  to  decide  ?  After  all, 
Ruth,  I  agree  with  you;  it  is  a  question  that 
must  be  left  to  our  judgment  and  common  sense  ; 
only  we  are  bound  to  strengthen  our  common 
sense  and  confirm  our  judgments  in  the  light  of 
the  lamp  that  is  promised  as  a  guide  to  our  feet." 

Almost  nothing  was  said  among  them  after 
that,  except  the  commonplaces  of  good-nights. 
The  next  afternoon,  as  Marion  was  working 
out  a  refractory  example  in  algebra  for  Gracie 
Dennis,  she  bent  lower  over  her  slate,  and  said  : 

"  Miss  Wilbur,  did  you  know  that  your  friends, 
Miss.  Erskine,  Miss  Shipley  and  Miss  Mitchell, 
had  all  declined  Mrs.  Garland's  invitation,  and 
sent  her  an  informal  little  note  signed  by  them 
all,  to  the  effect  that  they  had  decided  not  to 
dance  any  more?" 

"  No,"  said  Marion,  the  rich  blood  mounting  to 
her  temples,  and  her  face  breaking  into  a  smile. 
"  How  did  you  hear  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Garland  told  my  father ;  she  said  she 


806         The  Chautauqua  Chris  at  Home. 

honored  them  for  their  consistency,  and  thought 
more  highly  of  their  new  departure  than  she 
ever  had  before.  It  is  rather  remarkable  so 
early  in  their  Christian  life,  don't  you  think  ?  " 

"  Rather,"  Marion  said,  with  a  smile,  and  she 
followed  it  by  a  soft  little  sigh.  She  had  not 
been  invited  to  Mrs.  Garland's.  There  was  no 
opportunity  for  her  to  show  whether  she  wsa 
consistent  or  not. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


KEEPING  THE  PROMISE. 

T  was  carious  how  our  four  girls  set  about 
enlarging  the  prayer-meeting.  That  idea 
had  taken  hold  of  them  as  the  next  thing  to  be 
done. 

"  The  wonder  was,"  Eurie  said,  "  that  Chris 
tian  people  had  not  worked  at  it  before.  I  am 
sure,"  she  added,  "  that  if  any  one  had  invited 
ine  to  attend,  I  should  have  gone  long  ago, 
just  to  please,  if  it  was  one  that  I  cared  to 
please." 

And  Marion  answered  with  a  smile  : 
"  I  am  sure  you  would,  too,  with  your  present 
feelings." 

(307) 


308         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

Still  none  of  them  doubted  but  that  they 
would  have  success.  They  saw  little  of  each 
other  during  the  days  that  intepvened,  and  their, 
plan  necessarily  involved  the  going  alone,  or 
with  what  company  they  could  gather,  instead 
of  meeting  and  keeping  each  other  company,  as 
they  had  done  in  the  first  days  of  their  prayer- 
meeting  life. 

Marion  came  first,  and  alone.  She  went  for 
ward  to  their  usual  seat  with  a  very  forlorn  and 
desolate  air.  She  had  entered  upon  the  work 
with  enthusiasm,  and  with  eager  desire  and  ex 
pectation  of  success.  To  be  sure  she  was  a  long 
time  deciding  whom  to  ask,  and  several  times 
changed  her  plans. 

At  last  her  heart  settled  on  Miss  Banks, 
the  friend  with  whom  she  had  almost  been  inti 
mate  before  these  new  intimacies  gathered 
around  her.  Latterly  they  had  said  little  to 
each  other.  Miss  Banks  had  seemed  to  avoid 
Marion  since  that  rainy  Monday  when  they  came 
in  contact  so  sharply.  She  was  not  exactly  rude, 
nor  in  the  least  unkind ;  she  simply  seemed  to 
feel  that  the  points  of  congeniality  between  them 
were  broken,  and  so  avoided  her. 


Keeping  the  Promise.  309 

She  did  this  so  successfully,  that,  even  after 
Marion's  thought  to  invite  her  to  the  meeting 
had  taken  decided  shape,  it  was  difficult  to  find 
the  opportunity.  Having  gotten  the  idea,  how 
ever,  she  was  persistent  in  it ;  and  at  last,  during 
recess,  on  the  very  day  of  the  meeting,  she  came 
across  her  in  the  librar}^,  looking  aimlessly  over 
the  rows  of  books. 

"  In  search  of  wisdom,  or  recreation  ?  "  Marion 
asked,  stopping  beside  her,  and  speaking  with 
the  familiarity  of  former  days. 

"  In  search  of  some  tiresome  references  for  my 
class  in  philosophy.  Some  of  the  scholars  are 
provokingly  in  earnest  in  the  study,  and  will 
not  be  satisfied  with  the  platitudes  of  the  text 
book." 

"  That  is  a  refreshing  departure  from  the  ordi 
nary  state  of  things,  isn't  it  ?  "  Marion  asked, 
laughing  at  the  way  in  which  the  progress  of  her 
pupils  was  put.  Then,  without  waiting  for  an 
answer,  and  already  feeling  her  resolution  be 
ginning  to  cool,  she  plunged  into  the  subject  that 
interested  her.  "I  have  been  in  search  of  you 
all  the  morning." 

"  That's  surprising,"  Miss  Banks  said,  coolly. 


310         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

"  Couldn't  I  be  found  ?  I  have  been  no  further 
away  than  my  school-room  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  mean  looking  for  you  at  a  time  when 
you  were  not  engaged,  or  perhaps  looking  for 
ward  to  seeing  you  at  such  a  time,  would  be  a 
more  proper  way  of  putting  it,"  said  Marion,  try 
ing  to  smile,  and  yet  feeling  a  trifle  annoyed. 

"  One  is  apt  to  be  somewhat  engaged  in  a 
school-room  during  school-hours,  especially  if 
one  is  a  teacher." 

They  were  not  getting  on  at  all.  Marion  de 
cided  to  speak  without  trying  to  bring  herself 
gracefully  to  the  point. 

"  I  want  to  ask  a  favor  of  you.  Will  you  go 
to  meeting  with  me  to-night?" 

"  To  meeting,"  Miss  Banks  repeated,  without 
turning  from  the  book-case.  "  What  meeting  is 
there  to-night  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  prayer-meeting  at  the  First  Church. 
There  is  always  a  meeting  there  on  Wednesday 
nights." 

Miss  Banks  turned  herself  slowly  away  from 
the  book  she  was  examining  and  fixed  her  clear, 
cold  gray  eyes  on  Marion : 

"  And  so  there  has  been  every  Wednesday 


Keeping  the  Promise.  311 

evening  during  the  five  years  that  we  have  been 
in  school  together,  I  presume.  To  what  can  I 
be  indebted  for  such  an  invitation  at  this  late 
day?" 

It  was  very  hard  for  Marion  not  to  get  angry. 
She  knew  this  cold  composure  was  intended  as 
a  rebuke  to  herself  for  presuming  to  have  with 
drawn  from  th<*  clique  that  had  hitherto  spent 
much  time  together. 

"  What  is  the  use  of  this  ?  "  she  asked ;  a  shade 
of  impatience  in  her  voice,  though  she  tried  to 
control  it.  "  You  know,  Miss  Banks,  that  I  pro 
fess  to  have  made  a  discovery  during  the  last  few 
weeks ;  that  I  try  to  arrange  all  my  actions  with 
a  view  to  the  new  revelations  of  life  and  duty 
which  I  have  certainly  had  ;  in  simple  language 
you  know  that,  whereas,  I  not  long  ago  pre 
sumed  to  scoff  at  conversion,  and  at  the  idea  of  a 
life  abiding  in  Christ,  I  believe  now  that  I  have 
been  converted,  and  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  my 
Friend  and  Brother ;  I  want  to  tell  you  that  I 
have  found  rest  and  peace  in  him.  Is  it  any 
wonder  that  I  should  desire  it  for  my  friends  ? 
I  do  honestly  crave  for  you  the  same  experi 
ence  that  I  have  enjoyed,  and  to  that  end  I 


812         The  Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

have  asked  you  to  attend  the  meeting  with  me 
to-night." 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  changes  on  Miss 
Banks'  face  during  this  sentence.  There  was  a 
touch  of  embarrassment,  and  more  than  a  touch 
of  incredulity,  and  over  all  a  look  of  great  amaze 
ment.  She  continued  to  survey  Marion  from 
head  to  foot  with  those  cold,  gray  eyes,  for  as 
much  as  a  minute  after  she  had  ceased  speaking. 
Then  she  said,  speaking  slowly,  as  if  she  were 
measuring  every  word : 

"I  am  sure  I  ought  to  be  grateful  for  the 
trouble  you  have  taken ;  the  more  so  as  I  had 
not  presumed  to  think  that  you  had  any  interest 
in  either  my  body  or  my  soul.  But  as  I  have 
had  no  new  and  surprising  revelations,  and  know 
nothing  about  the  Friend  and  Brother  of  whom 
you  speak,  I  may  be  excused  from  coveting  the 
like  experience  with  yourself,  however  delight 
ful  you  may  have  found  it.  As  to  the  meeting, 
I  went  once  to  that  church  to  attend  a  prayer- 
meeting,  too,  and  if  there  can  be  a  more  refined 
and  long  drawn-out  exhibition  of  dullness  than 
was  presented  to  us  there,  I  don't  know  where 
to  look  for  it.  I  wonder  why  the  school-bell 


Keeping  the  Promise.  813 

doesn't  ring  ?  It  is  three  minutes  past  the  time 
by  my  watch." 

Marion,  without  an  attempt  at  a  reply,  turned 
and  went  swiftly  down  the  hall.  She  was  glad 
that  just  then  the  tardy  bell  pealed  forth,  and 
that  she  was  obliged  to  go  at  once  to  the  recita 
tion-room  and  involve  herself  in  the  intricacies 
of  algebra. 

Without  this  incentive  to  self-control,  she  felt 
that  she  would  have  given  way  to  the  hot  disap 
pointed  tears  that  were  choking  in  her  throat. 
How  sad  her  heart  was  as  she  sat  there  alone  in 
the  prayer-room.  It  was  early  and  but  few  were 
present.  She  had  never  felt  so  much  alone. 
The  companionship  which  had  been  so  close  and 
so  constant  during  the  few  weeks  past  seemed 
suddenly  to  have  been  removed  from  her,  and 
when  she  essaj^ed  to  go  back  to  the  old  friend, 
she  had  stood  coldly  and  heartlessly  —  aye,  worse 
than  that  —  mockingly  aloof. 

She  had  overheard  her,  that  very  afternoon, 
detailing  to  one  of  the  under  teachers,  fragments 
of  the  conversation  in  the  library.  Marion's 
heart  was  wounded  to  its  very  depths.  Perhaps 
it  is  little  wonder  that  she  had  made  no  other 


314         The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

attempt  to  secure  company  for  the  evening. 
There  were  school-girls  by  the  score  that  she 
might  have  asked  ;  doubtless  some  one  of  the 
number  would  accept  her  invitation,  but  she  had 
not  thought  so.  She  had  shrunken  from  any 
other  effort,  in  mortal  terror. 

" 1  am  not  fitted  for  such  work,"  she  said,  in 
bitterness  of  soul ;  "  not  even  for  such  work ; 
what  can  I  do  ? "  and  then,  despite  the  class, 
she  had  brushed  away  a  tear.  So  there  she  sat 
alone,  till  suddenly  the  door  opened  with  more 
force  than  usual,  and  closed  with  a  little  bang, 
and  Eurie  Mitchell,  with  a  face  on  which  there 
glowed  traces  of  excitement,  came  like  a  whiff 
of  wind  and  rustled  into  a  seat  beside  her,  alone 
like  herself. 

"  You  here  ?  "  she  said,  and  there  was  surprise 
in  her  whisper.  "  Thought  you  would  be  late, 
and  not  be  alone.  I  am  glad  of  it  —  I  mean  I 
am  almost  glad.  Don't  you  think,  Nell  wouldn't 
come  with  me  I  I  counted  on  him  as  a  matter  of 
course,  he  is  so  obliging  —  always  willing  to  take 
me  wherever  I  want  to  go,  and  often  disarrang 
ing  his  own  engagements  so  that  I  need  not  be 
disappointed.  I  was  just  as  sure  of  him  I 


Keeping  the  Promise.  315 

thought  as  I  was  of  myself,  and  then  I  coaxed 
him  harder  than  I  ever  did  before  in  my  life,  and 
he  wouldn't  come  in."  He  came  to  the  door 
with  me,  and  said  I  needn't  be  afraid  but  that  he 
would  be  on  hand  to  see  me  home,  and  he  would 
Bee  safely  home  any  number  of  girls  that  I  chose 
to  drum  up,  but  as  for  sitting  in  here  a  whole 
hour  waiting  for  it  to  be  time  to  go  home,  that 
was  beyond  him  —  too  much  for  mortal  pa 
tience  I 

"  Wasn't  it  just  too  bad  I  I  was  so  sure  of  it, 
too  I  told  him  about  our  plans  —  about  our 
promise,  indeed,  and  how  I  had  counted  on  him, 
and  all  he  said  was  :  '  Don't  you  know  the  old 
proverb,  sis :  "  Never  count  your  chickens  before 
they  are  hatched  ;"  or,  a  more  elegant  phrasing 
of  it,  "Never  eat  your  fish  till  you  catch 
him?"  Now,  I'm  not  caught  yet ;  someway  the 
right  soit  of  bait  hasn't  reached  me  yet.'  I  was 
never  so  disappointed  in  my  life !  Didn't  you 
try  to  get  some  one  to  come  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Marion,  "  and  failed."  She  forced 
herself  to  say  that  much.  How  could  Eurie  go 
through  with  all  these  details  ?  "  If  her  heart 
had  ached  as  mine  does,  she  couldn't,"  Marion 


316         The   Chautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

told  herself.  She  might  have  known  if  she  had 
used  her  judgment  that  Eurie's  heart  was  not  of 
the  sort  that  would  ever  ache  over  anything  as 
hers  could ;  and  yet  Ernie  was  bitterly  disap 
pointed. 

She  had  counted  on  Nell,  and  expected  him, 
had  high  hopes  for  him  ;  and  here  they  were 
dashed  into  nothingness  !  Who  knew  that  he 
could  be  so  obstinate  over  a  trifle?  Surely  it 
was  a  trifle  just  to  come  to  prayer-meeting  once! 
She  knew  she  would  have  done  it  for  him,  even 
in  the  days  when  it  would  have  been  a  bore. 
She  did  not  understand  it  at  all. 

Meantime,  Ruth  had  been  having  her  experi 
ences.  This  promise  of  hers  troubled  her.  Per 
haps  you  cannot  imagine  what  an  exceedingly 
disagreeable  thing  it  seemed  to  her  to  go  hunt 
ing  up  somebody  to  go  to  prayer-meeting  with 
her.  Where  could  she  turn  ?  There  were  so 
few  people  with  whom  she  came  in  contact  that 
it  would  not  be  absurd  to  ask. 

Her  father  she  put  aside  at  once  as  entirely 
out  of  the  question.  It  was  simply  an  absurdity 
to  think  of  asking  him  to  go  to  prayer-meeting  I 
He  rarely  went  to  church  even  on  the  Sabbath ; 


Keeping  the  Promise.  317 

less  often  now  than  he  used  to  do.  It  would 
simply  be  annoying  him  and  exposing  religion  to 
his  contempt ;  so  his  daughter  reasoned.  She 
sighed  over  it  while  she  reasoned ;  she  wished 
most  earnestly  that  it  were  not  so ;  she  prayed, 
and  she  thought  it  was  with  all  her  heart,  that 
God  would  speak  to  her  father  in  some  way,  by 
some  voice  that  he  would  heed  ;  and  yet  she  al 
lowed  herself  to  be  sure  that  his  only  and  cher 
ished  daughter  had  the  one  voice  that  could  not 
hope  to  influence  him  in  the  least. 

Well,  there  was  her  friend,  Mr..  Wayne.  I 
wonder  if  I  can  describe  to  you  how  impossible 
it  seemed  to  her  to  ask  him  to  go  ?  Not  that  he 
would  not  have  accompanied  her;  he  would  in  a 
minute;  he  would  do  almost  anything  she  asked ; 
she  felt  as  sure  that  she  could  get  him  to  occupy 
a  seat  in  the  First  Church  prayer-room  that 
evening  as  she  felt  sure  of  going  there  herself ; 
but  she  asked  herself,  of  what  earthly  use  would 
it  be? 

He  would  go  simply  to  please  what  he  would 
suppose  was  a  whim  of  hers ;  he  would  listen 
with  an  amused  smile,  slightly  tinged  with  sar 
casm,  to  all  the  words  that  would  be  spoken  that 


318         The  Ohautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

evening,  and  he  would  have  ready  a  hundred 
mildly  funny  things  to  say  about  them  when  the 
meeting  closed ;  for  weeks  afterward  he  would 
be  apt  to  bring  in  nicely  fitting  quotations 
gleaned  from  that  evening  of  watchfulness,  fit 
ting  them  into  absurd  places,  and  making  them 
seem  the  veriest  folly  —  that  would  be  the 
fruit. 

Ruth  shrank  with  all  her  soul  from  such  a  re 
sult ;  these  things  were  sacred  to  her;  she  did 
not  see  how  it  would  be  possible  to  endure  the 
quizzical  turn  that  would  be  given  to  them.  I 
want  you  to  notice  that  in  all  this  reasoning 
she  did  not  see  that  she  had  undertaken  not  only 
her  own  work  but  the  Lord's.  When  one  at 
tempts  not  only  to  drop  the  seed,  but  to  make 
the  fruit  that  shall  spring  up,  no  wonder  one 
stands  back  appalled  ! 

Yet  was  she  not  busying  Ler  heart  with  the  re 
sults  ?  The  end  of  it  was  that  she  decided  what 
ever  else  she  did,  to  say  nothing  to  Mr.  Wayne 
about  the  meeting.  No,  I  am  mistaken,  that 
was  not  the  end ;  there  suddenly  came  in  with 
these  musings  a  startling  thought : 

44  If  I  cannot  endure  the  foolishness  that  will 


Keeping  the  Promise.  819 

result  from  one  evening,  how  am  I  to  endure 
companionship  for  a  lifetime  ?  " 

That  was  a  thought  that  would  not  slumber 
again.  But  she  must  find  some  one  whom  she 
was  willing  to  ask  to  go  to  prayer-meeting ;  there 
was  her  miserable  promise  hedging  her  in. 

Who  was  she  willing  to  ask  ?  She  ran  over 
her  list  of  acquaintances ;  there  wasn't  one. 
How  strange  it  was  I  She  could  think  of  those 
whom  Flossy  might  ask,  and  there  was  Eurie 
surrounded  by  a  large  family ;  and  as  for  Marion, 
her  opportunities  were  unlimited;  but  for  her 
forlorn  self,  in  all  the  large  circle  of  her  acquain 
tance,  there  seemed  no  one  to  ask.  The  truth 
was,  Ruth  was  shiveringly  afraid  of  casting 
pearls  before  swine  —  not  that  she  put  it  in  that 
way  ;  but  she  would  rather  have  been  struck 
than  to  have  been  made  an  object  of  ridicule. 
And  yet  there  were  times  when  she  wished  she 
had  lived  in  the  days  of  martyrdom  I  The 
church  of  to-day  is  full  of  just  such  martyr 
spirits ! 

The  result  was  precisely  what  might  have 
been  expected :  she  dallied  with  her  miserable 
cowardice,  which  she  did  not  call  by  that  name 


320         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

at  all,  until  there  really  was  no  person  within 
reach  to  invite  to  the  meeting.  Who  would 
have  supposed  all  this  of  Ruth  Erskine  I  No 
one  would  have  been  less  likely  to  have  done  so 
than  herself. 

She  went  alone  to  the  meeting  at  a  late  hour, 
and  with  a  very  miserable,  sore,  sad  heart,  to 
which  Marion's  was  nothing  in  comparison. 
Yet  there  was  something  accomplished,  if  she 
had  but  known  it.  She  was  beginning  to  un 
derstand  herself ;  she  had  a  much  lower  opinion 
of  Ruth  Erskine  as  she  sat  there  meeting  the 
wondering  gaze  of  Eurie,  and  the  quick,  inquir 
ing  glance  of  Marion  than  she  ever  had  felt  in 
her  life. 

I  said  she  was  late,  but  Flossy  was  later. 
Somebody  else  must  have  been  at  work  about 
that  meeting,  and  have  been  more  successful 
than  our  girls,  for  the  room  was  fuller  than  usual. 
Marion  had  begun  to  grow  anxious  for  the  little 
Flossy  that  had  crept  so  near  to  their  hearts,  and 
to  make  frequent  turnings  of  the  head  to  see  if 
she  were  not  coming. 

When  at  last  she  shimmered  down  the  aisle,  a 
soft,  bright  rainbow,  for  she  hadn't  given  over 


Keeping  the  Promise.  821 

wearing  her  favorite  colors,  and  she  could  no 
more  help  getting  them  on  becomingly  than  a 
bird  can  help  looking  graceful  in  its  plumage. 
(Why  should  either  of  them  try  to  help  it?) 
But  Flossy  was  not  alone ;  there  was  a  tall 
portly  form,  and  a  splendidly  balanced  head,  rest 
ing  on  firm  shoulders,  that  followed  her  do\vu  tc 
the  seat  where  the  girls  were  waiting  for  her. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

HOW    IT  WAS   DONE. 

3LOSSY  came  quite  down  the  broad  aisle 
i  to  t  lie  seat  which  the  girls  had,  by  tacit  un- 
standing,  chosen  for  their  own,  her  face  just  ra- 
dient  with  »  sort  of  surprised  satisfaction,  and 
the  gentleman  who  followed  her  with  an  assured 
and  measured  step  was  none  other  than  Judg3 
Kr*l<im.'  liimst'lf.  He  luay  have  been  surprised 
at  lii>o\\u  appearance  in  that  place  for  pra}*er, 
but  no  surprise  of  Ins  could  compare  with  the 
amazement  of  his  daughter  Ruth.  For  once  in 
her  life  her  well-bred  composure  forsook  her,  and 
her  look  could  be  called  nothing  less  than  an  ab 
solute  stare. 


How  it  was  Done.  323 

Of  the  four,  Flossy  only  had  succeeded.  The 
way  of  it  was  this : 

Having  become  a  realist,  in  the  most  emphatic 
sense  of  that  word,  to  have  promised  to  bring 
some  one  with  her  to  meeting  if  she  possibly 
could,  meant  to  her  just  that,  and  nothing  less 
than  that.  Of  course,  such  an  understanding 
of  a  promise  made  it  impossible  to  stop  with  the 
asking  of  one  person,  or  two,  or  three,  provided 
her  invitations  met  with  only  refusals. 

She  had  started  out  as  confident  of  success  as 
Eurie ;  she  felt  nearly  certain  of  Col.  Baker ; 
not  because  he  was  any  more  likety  of  his  own 
will  to  choose  the  prayer-meeting  than  he  had 
been  all  his  life  thus  far,  but  because  he  was 
growing  every  day  more  anxious  to  give  pleas 
ure  to  Flossy. 

Having  some  dim  sense  of  this  in  her  heart, 
Flossy  reasoned  that  it  would  be  right  to  put  this 
power  of  hers  to  the  good  use  of  winning  him  to 
the  meeting,  for  who  could  tell  what  words  from 
God's  Spirit  might  reach  him  while  there  ?  So 
she  asked  him  to  go. 

To  her  surprise,  and  to  Col.  Baker's  real  an 
noyance,  he  was  obliged  to  refuse  her.  He  was 


324         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Some. 

more  than  willing  to  go,  even  to  a  prayer-meet 
ing,  if  thereby  he  could  take  one  step  forward 
toward  the  place  in  her  life  that  he  desired  to 
fill.  Therefore  his  regrets  were  profuse  and 
sincere. 

It  was  club  night,  and,  most  unluckily,  they 
were  to  meet  with  him,  and  he  was  to  provide 
tlie  entertainment.  Under  almost  any  other  cir 
cumstances  he  could  have  been  excused.  Had 
he  even  had  the  remotest  idea  that  Flossy  would 
have  liked  his  company  that  evening,  he  could 
have  made  arrangements  for  a  change  of  even 
ing  for  the  club ;  that  is,  had  he  known  of  it 
earlier.  But,  as  it  was,  she  would  see  how  im 
possible  it  would  be  for  him  to  get  away.  Quick 
witted  Flossy  took  him  at  his  word. 

"  Would  he  remember,  then,"  she  asked,  with 
her  most  winning  smile,  "  that  of  all  places  where 
she  could  possibly  like  to  see  him  regularly,  the 
Wednesday  evening  prayer-meeting  at  the  First 
Church  was  the  place." 

What  a  bitter  pill  an  evening  prayer-meeting 
would  be  to  Col.  Baker  I  But  he  did  not  tell 
her  so.  He  was  even  growing  to  think  that  he 
could  do  that,  for  a  while  at  least. 


How  it  was  Done.  325 

From  him  Flossy  turned  to  her  brother ;  but 
it  was  club  night  to  him,  too,  and  while  he  had 
not  the  excuse  that  the  entertainer  of  the  club 
certainly  had,  it  served  very  well  as  an  excuse, 
though  he  was  frank  enough  to  add,  "  As  for 
that,  I  don't  believe  I  should  go  if  I  hadn't  an 
engagement ;  I  won't  be  hypocrite  enough  to  go 
to  the  prayer-meeting."  Such  strange  ideas  have 
some  otherwise  sensible  people  on  this  subject  of 
hypocrisy  ! 

It  required  a  good  deal  of  courage  for  Flossy 
to  ask  her  mother,  but  she  accomplished  it,  and 
received  in  reply  an  astonished  stare,  a  half-em 
barrassed  laugh,  and  the  expression : 

44  What  an  absurd  little  fanatic  you  are  getting 
to  be,  Flossy !  I  am  sure  one  wouldn't  have 
looked  for  it  in  a  child  like  you !  Me  ?  Oh, 
dear,  no  !  I  can't  go ;  I  never  walk  so  far  you 
know  ;  at  least  very  rarely,  and  Kitty  will  havo 
the  carriage  in  use  for  Mrs.  Waterman's  recep 
tion.  Why  don't  you  go  thare,  child  ?  It  really 
isn't  treating  Mi's.  Waterman  well;  she  is  such 
an  old  friend." 

These  \\ere  a  few  of  the  many  efforts  which 
Flossy  made.  They  met  with  like  results,  until 


326         The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

at  last  the  evening  in  question  found  her  some 
what  belated  and  alone,  ringing  at  Judge  Ers- 
kine's  mansion.  That  important  personage  being 
in  the  hall,  in  the  act  of  going  out  to  the  post- 
office,  he  opened  the  door  and  met  her  hurried, 
almost  breathless,  question : 

"Judge  Erskine,  is  Ruth  gone?  Oh,  excuse 
me.  Good-evening.  I  am  in  such  haste  that  I 
forgot  courtesy.  Do  you  think  Ruth  is  gone  ?  " 

Yes,  Judge  Erskine  knew  that  his  daughter 
was  out,  for  she  stepped  into  the  library  to  leave 
a  message  a  few  moments  ago,  and  she  was  then 
dressed  for  the  street,  and  had  passed  out  a  mo 
ment  afterward. 

Then  did  he  know  whether  Katie  Fliun,  the 
chamber-maid,  was  in?  "Of  course  you  won't 
know,"  she  added,  blushing  and  smiling  at  the 
absurdit}'  of  her  question.  "  I  mean  could  you 
find  out  for  me  whether  she  is  in,  and  can  I  speak 
to  her  just  a  minute  ?  " 

He  was  fortunately  wiser  to-night  than  she 
gave  him  credit  for  being,  Judge  Erskine  said, 
with  a  courtly  bow  and  smile. 

It  ho  happened  that  just  after  his  daughter  de 
parted,  Katie  hud  sought  him,  asking  permission 


How  it  was  Done.  327 

to  be  out  that  evening  until  nine  o'clock,  a  per 
mission  that  she  had  forgotten  to  secure  of  his 
daughter ;  therefore,  as  a  most  unusual  circum 
stance  which  must  have  occurred  for  Flossy's 
special  benefit,  he  was  posted  even  as  to  Katie's 
whereabouts.  He  was  unprepared  for  the  sud 
den  flushing  of  Flossy's  cheeks,  and  quiver  of 
her  almost  baby  chin. 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  1 "  she  said,  and  there  were 
actual  tears  in  her  blue  eyes. 

Judge  Erskinc  saw  them,  and  felt  as  if  he  were 
in  some  way  a  monster.  He  hastened  to  be 
sympathetic.  If  she  was  alone  and  timid  it 
would  afford  him  nothing  but  pleasure  to  see  her 
safely  to  any  part  of  the  city  she  chose  to  mention. 
He  was  going  out  simply  for  a  stroll,  with  no 
business  whatever. 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  that,"  Flossy  said,  hastily.  "  I 
am  such  a  little  way  from  the  chapel,  and  it  is  so 
early  I  shall  not  be  afraid  ;  but  I  am  so  disap 
pointed.  You  see,  Judge  Erskiue,  we  girls  were 
each  to  bring  one  with  us  to  the  meeting  to 
night,  and  I  have  tried  so  hard,  I  have  asked  al 
most  a  dozen  people,  and  none  of  them  could  go. 
At  last  I  happened  to  think  of  your  Katie  Flinn ; 


328         The   Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Ilome. 

I  knew  she  was  in  our  Sunday-school,  and  1 
thought  perhaps  if  I  asked  her  she  would  go 
with  me,  if  Ruth  had  not  done  it  before  me.  She 
was  my  last  chance,  and  I  am  more  disappointed 
than  I  can  tell  you." 

Shall  I  try  to  describe  to  you  what  a  strange 
sensation  Judge  Erskine  felt  in  the  region  of  his 
heart  as  he  stood  there  in  the  hall  with  that 
pretty  blushing  girl,  who  seemed  to  him  only  a 
child,  and  found  that  her  quivering  chin  and 
swimming  eyes  meant  simply  that  she  had  failed 
in  securing  even  his  chambermaid  to  attend  the 
prayer-meeting?  He  never  remembered  to  have 
had  such  an  astonishing  feeling,  nor  such  a  queer 
choking  sensation  in  his  throat. 

His  own  daughter  was  dignified  and  stately ; 
the  very  picture  of  her  father,  every  one  said ; 
he  had  no  idea  that  she  could  shed  a  tear  any 
more  than  he  could  himself;  but  this  timid, 
flushing,  trembling  little  girl  seemed  made  of 
some  other  material  than  just  the  clay  that  he 
supposed  himself  to  be  composed  of. 

He  stood  regarding  her  with  a  sort  of  pleased 
wonder.  In  common  with  many  other  stately 
gentlemen,  he  very  much  admired  real,  uuaf- 


How  it  was  Done.  829 

fected,  artless  childhood.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
a  grieved  child  stood  before  lam.  IIo\v  oould  he 
comfort  her  ?  If  a  doll,  now,  with  curling  hair 
and  blue  e}Tes  could  do  it,  how  promptly  should 
it  be  bought  and  given  to  this  flesh-and-blood 
doll  before  him. 

But  no,  nothing  short  of  some  one  to  ac 
company  her  to  prayer-meeting  would  appease 
this  little  troubled  bit  of  humanity.  In  the 
magnanimity  of  his  haughty  heart  the  learned 
judge  took  a  sudden  and  almost  overpowering 
resolution. 

Could  he  go?  he  asked  her.  To  be  sure, 
he  was  not  Katie  Flinu,  but  he  would  do  his  best 
to  take  the  place  of  that  personage  if  she  would 
kindly  let  himv  go  to  the  said  meeting  with 
her. 

It  was  worth  a  dozen  sittings  even  in  prayer- 
meeting,  Judge  Erskine  thought,  to  see  the  sud 
den  clearing  of  that  tearful  face ;  the  sudden 
radiant  outlook  from  those  wet  eyes. 

Would  he  go  ?  Would  he  really  go  ?  Could 
anything  be  more  splendid  ! 

And,  verily,  Judge  Erskine  thought,  as  he  be 
held  her  shining  face,  that  there  hardly  could. 


330         The   Chautauqua  G-irh  at  Home. 

He  felt  precisely  as  you  do  when  you  have  been 
unselfish  toward  a  pretty  child,  who,  someway, 
has  won  a  warm  spot  in  your  heart. 

He  went  to  the  First  Church  prayer-meeting 
for  the  first  time  with  no  higher  motive  than 
that  —  never  mind,  he  went.  Flossy  Shipley 
certainly  was  not  responsible  for  the  motive  of 
his  going ;  neither  did  it  in  any  degree  affect  the 
honest,  earnest,  persistent  effort  she  had  made 
that  day.  Her  account  of  it  was  simple  enough, 
when  the  girls  met  afterward  to  talk  over  their 
efforts. 

"  Why,  you  know,"  she  said,  "  I  actually 
promised  to  bring  some  one  with  me  if  I  possibly 
could ;  so  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  try  in 
every  possible  way  up  to  the  very  last  minute  of 
the  time  I  had.  But,  after  all,  I  brought  the 
one  whom  I  had  not  the  least  idea  of  asking  ;  he 
asked  himself." 

"  Well,"  Marion  said,  after  a  period  of  amazed 
silence,  "  I  have  made  two  discoveries.  One  is, 
that  people  may  possibly  have  tried  before  this 
to  enlarge  the  prayer-meeting  ;  possibly  we  may 
not,  after  all,  be  the  originators  of  that  brilliant 
idea ;  they  may  have  tried,  and  failed  even  as  we 


How  it  was  Done.  331 

did  ;  for  I  have  learned  that  it  is  not  so  easy  a 
matter  as  it  at  first  appears ;  it  needs  a  power 
behind  the  wills  of  people  to  get  them  to  do  even 
BO  simple  a  thing  as  that.  The  other  important 
thought  is,  there  are  two  ways  of  keeping  a 
promise ;  one  is  to  make  an  attempt  and  fail, 
saying  to  our  contented  consciences,  '  There  ! 
I've  done  my  duty,  and  it  is  no  use  you.  see ; ' 
and  the  other  is  to  persist  in  attempt  after  at 
tempt,  until  the  very  pertinacity  of  our  faith  ac 
complishes  the  work  for  us.  What  if  we  follow 
the  example  of  our  little  Flossy  after  this,  and 
(et  a  promise  mean  something  ?  " 

"  My  example !  "  Flossy  said,  with  wide  open 
eyes.  "  Why,  I  only  asked  people,  just  as  I  said 
I  would ;  but  they  wouldn't  come." 

There  was  one  young  lady  who  walked  home 
from  that  eventful  prayer-meeting  with  a  very 
unsatisfied  conscience.  Ruth  Erskine  could  not 
get  away  from  the  feeling  that  she  was  a  shirker ; 
all  the  more  so,  because  the  person  who  had  sat 
very  near  her  was  her  father  I  not  brought  there 
by  any  invitation  from  her ;  it  was  not  that  she 
had  tried  and  failed ;  that  form  of  it  would  have 
been  an  infinite  relief ;  she  simply  had  not  tried, 


552         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

and  she  made  herself  honestly  confess  to  herself 
that  the  trouble  was,  she  could  not  be  satisfied 
with  one  who  was  within  the  reach  of  her  ask 
ing. 

Yet  conscience,  working  all  alone,  is  a  very 
uncomfortable  and  disagreeable  companion,  and 
often  accomplishes  for  the  time  being  nothing 
beyond  making  his  victim  disagreeable.  This 
was  Ruth  to  the  fullest  extent  of  her  power ;  she 
realized  it,  and  in  a  measure  felt  ashamed  of  her 
self,  and  struggled  a  little  for  a  better  state  of 
mind. 

It  seemed  ill  payment  for  the  courtesy  which 
had  made  Harold  Wayne  forsake  the  club  before 
supper  for  the  purpose  of  walking  home  with  her 
from  church.  He  was  unusually  kind,  too,  and 
patient.  Part  of  her  trouble,  be  it  known,  was 
her  determination  in  her  heart  not  to  be  driven 
by  that  dreadful  conscience  into  saying  a  single 
personal  word  to  Harold  Wayne.  Not  that 
she  put  it  in  that  way ;  bless  you,  no !  Satan 
rarely  blunders  enough  to  speak  out  plainly  ;  he 
lias  a  dozen  smooth-summing  phrases  that  mean 
the  same  thing. 

"People  need  to  be  approached  very  carefully 
on  very  special  occasions,  which  are  uot  apt  to 


How  it  was  Done.  333 

occur  ;  they  need  to  be  approached  by  just  such 
persons,  and  in  just  such  well-chosen  words," 
etc.  etc. 

Though  why  it  should  require  such  infinite 
tact  and  care  and  skill  to  say  to  a  friend,  "  I  wish 
you  were  going  to  heaven  with  me,"  when  the  per 
son  would  say  without  the  slightest  hesitation, 
*'  I  wish  you  were  going  to  Europe  with  me," 
and  be  accounted  an  idiot  if  he  made  talk  about 
tact  and  skill  and  caution,  I  am  sure  I  don't 
know. 

Yet  all  these  things  Ruth  said  to  herself.  The 
reason  the  thought  ruffled  her  was  because  her 
honest  conscience  kne\v  they  were  false,  and 
that  she  had  a  right  to  say,  "  Harold,  I  wish  you 
were  a  Christian ; "  and  had  no  right  at  all  with 
the  results. 

She  simply  could  not  bring  herself  to  say  it ; 
she  did  not  really  know  why,  herself ;  probably 
Satan  did. 

Mr.  Wayne  was  unusually  quiet  and  grave ;  he 
seemed  to  be  doing  what  he  could  to  lead  Ruth 
into  serious  talk ;  he  asked  about  the  meeting, 
whether  there  were  many  out,  and  whether  she 
enjoyed  it. 

"  I  sort  of  like  Dr.  Dennis,"  he  said.     "  He  ia 


834         The  CJiautauqua  Crirls  at  Some. 

tremendously  in  earnest ;  but  why  shouldn't  a 
man  be  in  earnest  if  he  believes  what  he  is  talk 
ing  about.  Do  you  suppose  he  does,  Ruth?  " 

"  Of  course,"  Ruth  said,  shortly,  almost  crossly ; 
"  you  know  he  does.  Why  do  you  ask  such  a 
foolish  question  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know ;  half  the  time  it  seems  to 
me  as  if  the  religious  people  were  trying  to  hum 
bug  the  world  ;  because,  you  see,  they  don't  act 
as  if  they  were  in  dead  earnest  —  very  few  of 
them  do,  at  least." 

"•  That  is  a  very  easy  thing  to  say,  and  people 
seem  to  be  fond  of  saying  it,"  Ruth  said :  and 
then  she  simply  would  not  talk  on  that  subject 
or  any  other ;  she  was  miserably  unhappy ;  an 
awakened  conscience,  toyed  with,  is  a  very  fruit 
ful  source  of  misery.  She  was  glad  when  the 
walk  was  concluded. 

"Shall  I  come  in  ?"  Mr.  Wayne  asked,  linger 
ing  on  the  step,  half  smiling,  half  wistful. 
"  What  do  you  advise,  shall  I  go  back  to  the  club 
or  call  on  you  ?  " 

Now,  Ruth  hated  that  club ;  she  was  much 
afraid  of  its  influence  over  her  friend ;  she  had 
determined,  as  soon  as  she  could  plan  a  line  of 
operation,  to  set  systematically  at  work  to  with- 


Ho  a'  it  wis 


draw  him  from  its  influence;  but  she  w;is  uot 
ready  for  it  yet.  And,  among  other  things  that 
she  was  not  ready  for,  was  a  call  from  Mr. 
Wayne  ;  it  seemed  to  her  that  in  her  present 
miserable,  unsettled  state  it  would  be  simply  ira  - 
possiblo  to  carry  on  a  conversation  with  him. 
True  to  her  usually  frank  nature,  she  answered, 
promptly  : 

"  I  have  certainly  no  desire  for  you  to  go  tc 
the  club,  either  on  this  evening  or  any  other; 
but,  to  be  frank,  I  would  rather  be  alone  this 
evening  ;  I  want  to  think  over  some  matters  of 
importance,  and  to  decide  them.  You  will  not 
think  strangely  of  me  for  saying  that,  will  you?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  said,  and  he  smiled  kindly  on 
her;  yet  he  was  very  much  disappointed;  he 
showed  it  in  his  face. 

Many  a  time  afterward,  as  Ruth  sat  thinking 
over  this  conversation,  recalling  e\ery  litllu  de 
tail  of  it,  recalling  the  look  on  his  face,  and  the 
peculiar  sadness  in  his  eyes,  she  thought  \vithir, 
herself,  "  If  I  had  said,  '  Harold,  I  want  you  to 
come  in  ;  I  want  to  talk  with  you  ;  I  want  you 
to  decide  now  to  live  for  Christ,'  I  wonder  what 
he  would  have  answered. 

But  she  did  not  say  it.     Instead,  she  turned 


The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 


him  and  went  into  the  bouse;  and  —  he 
went  directly  to  his  club:  an  unaccountable 
gloom  hung  over  him  ;  he  must  have  companion 
ship  ;  if  not  with  his  chosen  and  promised  wife, 
then  with  the  club.  That  \vas  just  what  Ruth 
was  to  him  ;  and  it  was  oue  of  the  questions  that 
tormented  her. 

There  were  reasons  why  thought  about  it  had 
forced  itself  upon  her  during  the  last  few  days. 
She  was  pledged  to  him  long  before  she  found 
this  new  experience.  The  question  was,  Could 
she  fulfil  those  pledges  ?  Had  they  a  thought  in 
common  now  ?  Could  she  live  with  him  the  sort 
of  life  that  she  had  promised  to  live,  and  that  she 
solemnly  meant  to  live  ?  If  she  could,  was  it 
right  to  do  so  ?  You  see  she  had  enough  to  tor 
ment  her;  only  she  set  about  thinking  of  it  in 
so  strange  a  manner  ;  not  at  all  as  she  would 
have  thought  about  it  if  the  pledges  she  had 
given  him  had  meant  to  her  all  that  the}7  mean 
to  some,  all  that  they  ought  to  mean  to  any  one 
who  makes  them,  This  phase  of  it  also  troubled 
her. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

RUTH  AJO>  HABOLD. 

HERE  had  been  in  Judge  Erskine's  mind 
a  slight  sense  of  wonderment  as  to  how 
lie  should  meet  his  daughter  the  morning  after 
his  astounding  appearance  at  prayer-meeting. 
Such  a  new  and  singular  departure  was  it,  that 
he  even  felt  a  slight  shade  of  embarrassment. 

But,  before  the  hour  of  meeting  hor  arrived, 
his  thoughts  were  turned  into  an  entirely  new 
channel.  He  met  her,  looking  very  grave,  and 
with  a  touch  of  tenderness  about  his  manner  that 
was  new  to  her.  She,  on  her  part,  was  not 
much  more  at  rest  than  she  had  been  the  evening 
before.  She  realized  that  her  heart  was  in  an 

(337) 


838         Tlie  Chautauqua  Crirh  at  Home. 

actual  otate  of  rebellion  against  any  form  of  de 
cided  Christian  work  that  she  could  plan. 
Clearly,  something  was  wrong  with  her.  If  she 
had  been  familiar  with  a  certain  old  Christian, 
she  might  have  borrowed  his  language  to  express 
in  part  her  feeling. 

"To  will  is  present  with  me,  but  how  to  per 
form  that  which  is  good  I  know  not."  Not  quite 
that,  either,  for  while  she  said,  "  I  can't  do  this 
thing,  or  that  thing,"  she  was  clear-minded 
enough  to  see  that  it  simply  meant,  after  all,  "  I 
will  not."  The  will  was  at  fault,  and  she  knew 
it.  She  did  not  fully  comprehend  yet  that  she 
had  set  out  to  be  a  Christian,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  have  her  own  way  in  the  least  little 
thing  ;  but  she  had  a  glimmering  sense  that  such 
was  the  trouble. 

Her  father,  after  taking  surreptitious  glances 
at  her  pale  face  and  troubled  eyes,  decided  fi 
nally  that  what  was  to  be  said  must  be  said,  and 
asked,  abruptly : 

"  When  did  you  see  Harold,  my  daughter  ?  " 

Ruth  started,  and  the  question  made  the  blood 
rush  to  ker  face,  she  did  not  know  why. 

"  I  saw  him  last  evening,  after  prayer-meeting, 


Ruth  and  Harold.  339 

I  believe,"  she  answered,  speaking  in  her  usual 
quiet  tone,  but  fixing  an  inquiring  look  on  ln:r 
father. 

"  Did  he  speak  of  not  feeling  well  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  not  at  all.     Why  ?  " 

"  I  hear  that  he  is  quite  sick  this  morning  ; 
was  taken  in  the  night.  Something  like  a  fit,  I 
should  judge ;  may  be  nothing  but  a  slight  at 
tack,  brought  on  by  late  suppers.  He  was  at 
the  club  last  night.  I  thought  I  would  call  af 
ter  breakfast,  and  learn  the  extent  of  the  illness. 
If  you  want  to  send  a  message  or  note,  I  can  de 
liver  it." 

That  was  the  beginning  of  dreary  d.ij-s.  Ruth 
prepared  her  note  —  a  tender,  comforting  one  : 
but  it  was  brought  buck  to  her  ;  and  as  her  fa 
ther  handed  it  to  her  he  suid  : 

"  He  can't  read  it  now,  daughter.  I  dare  say 
it  would  comfort  him  if  he  could  ;  but  he  is  de 
lirious;  didn't  know  me;  hasn't  known  any  one 
since  he  was  taken  in  the  night.  Keep  the  let 
ter  till  this  passes  off,  then  he  will  be  ready  for 
it." 

Very  kind  and  sympathetic  were  Ruth's 
friends.  The  girls  came  to  see  her,  and  kissed 


340         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

her  wistfully,  with  tears  in  their  ej-es,  but  they 
hud  little  to  say.  They  knew  just  how  sick  her 
friend  was,  and  they  felt  as  though  there  was 
nothing  left  to  say.  Her  father  neglected  his 
business  to  stay  at  home  with  her,  and  in  many 
a  little,  thoughtful  way  touched  her  heavy  heart, 
as  the  hours  dragged  by. 

Not  many  hours  to  wait.  It  was  iu  the  early 
dawn  of  the  third  morning  after  the  news  had 
reached  her,  that  the  door-bell  pealed  sharply 
through  the  house.  There  was  but  one  servant 
up  ;  she  answered  the  bell. 

Ruth  was  up  and  dressed,  and  stood  in  the  hall 
above,  listening  for  what  that  bell  might  bring 
to  her.  She  heard  the  hurried  voice  at  the  door; 
heard  the  peremptory  order : 

"  I  want  to  see  Judge  Erskine  right  away." 
She  knew  the  voice  belonged  to  Nellis  Mitchell, 
and  she  went  down  to  him  in  the  library.  He 
turned  swiftly  at  the  opening  of  the  door,  then 
stood  still,  and  a  look  of  blank  dismay  swept 
over  his  face. 

"  It  was  your  father  that  I  wanted  to  see,"  he 
said,  quickly. 

"I  know,"  she    answered,  speaking    in  her 


Ruth  and  Harold.  841 

usual  tone.  "  I  heard  your  message.  My  fa 
ther  has  not  yet  risen.  He  will  be  down  pres 
ently.  Meantime,  I  thought  you  might  possibly 
have  news  of  Mr.  Wayne's  condition.  Can  you 
tell  me  what  your  father  thinks  of  him  this 
morning  ?  " 

How  very  quiet  and  composed  she  was  I  It 
seemed  impossible  to  realize  that  she  was  the 
promised  wife  of  the  man  for  whom  she  was  ask 
ing.  Nellis  Mitchell  was  distressed  ;  he  did  not 
know  what  to  say  or  do.  His  distress  showed 
itself  plainly  on  his  face. 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid  to  tell  me/'  she  said, 
half  smiling,  and  speaking  more  gently  than  she 
was  apt  to  speak  to  this  young  man.  It  almost 
seemed  that  she  was  trying  to  sustain  him,  and 
help  him  to  tell  his  story.  "  I  am  not  a  child 
you  know,"  she  added,  still  with  a  smile. 

"  You  do  not  know  what  you  are  talking 
about,"  he  said,  hoarsely.  "  Ruth,  won't  you 
please  go  up-stairs  and  tell  your  father  I  want 
him  as  soon  as  possible  ?  " 

She  turned  from  him  half  impatiently. 

"  My  father  will  be  down  as  soon  as  possible," 
she  said,  coldly.  "He  is  not  accustomed  to 


342         The   Chautauqua   Grirls  a.t  Home. 

keep  gentlemen  waiting  beyond  what  is  neces 
sary.  Meantime,  if  you  know,  will  you  be  kind 
enough  to  give  me  news  of  Mr.  Waj'ne  ?  I  beg 
you,  Mr.  Mitchell,  to  remember  that  I  am  not  a 
silly  child,  to  whom  you  need  be  afraid  to  give  a 
message,  if  you  have  one." 

He  must  answer  her  now  ;  there  was  no  es 
cape. 

"  He  is,"  he  began,  and  then  he  stopped.  And 
her  clear,  cold,  grave  eyes  looked  right  at  him 
and  waited.  His  next  sentence  commenced  al 
most  in  a  moan.  "  Oh,  Ruth,  you  will  make  me 
tell  you  I  It  is  all  over.  He  has  gone." 

"  Gone  !  "  she  repeated,  incredulously,  still 
staring  at  him.  "  Where  is  he  gone  ?  " 

What  an  awful  question  I  She  realized  it  her 
self  almost  the  instant  it  passed  her  lips.  It 
made  her  shudder  visibly.  But  she  neither 
screamed  nor  fainted,  nor  in  any  way,  except 
that  strange  one,  betrayed  emotion.  Instead, 
she  said  : 

"  Be  seated,  Mr.  Mitchell,  and  excuse  me ; 
father  is  coming."  Then  she  turned  and  went 
back  up-stairs. 

He  heard  her  firm  step  on  the  stairs  as  she 


Ruth  and  Harold.  343 

went  slowly  up ;  and  this  poor  bearer  of  faithful 
tidings  shut  his  face  into  both  his  hands  and 
groaned  aloud  for  such  misery  as  could  not  vent 
itself  in  any  natural  way.  He  understood  that 
there  was  something  more  than  ordinary  sorrow 
in  Ruth's  face.  It  was  as  if  she  had  been  petri 
fied. 

Through  the  days  that  followed  Ruth  passed 
as  one  in  a  dream.  Every  one  was  very  kind. 
Her  father  showed  a  talent  for  patience  and 
gentleness  that  no  one  had  known  he  possessed. 

The  girls  came  to  see  her ;  but  she  would  not 
be  seen.  She  shrank  from  them.  They  did  not 
wonder  at  that ;  they  were  half  relieved  that  it 
was  so.  Such  a  pall  seemed  to  them  to  have 
settled  suddenly  over  her  life  that  they  felt  at  a 
loss  what  to  say,  how  to  meet  her.  So  when 
she  sent  to  them,  from  her  darkened  and  gloomy 
room,  kind  messages  of  thanks  for  their  kind 
ness,  and  asked  them  to  further  show  their  sym 
pathy  by  allowing  her  to  stay  utterly  alone  for 
awhile,  they  drew  relieved  sighs  and  went  away. 
This  much  they  understood.  It  was  not  a  time 
for  words. 

As  fcr  Floss}7,  she  should  not  have  been  num- 


344         The  Chautauqua  Q-irls  at  Home. 

bered  among  them.  She  did  not  call  at  all ;  she 
sent  by  Nellis  Mitchell  a  tiny  bouquet  of  lilies  of 
the  valley,  lying  inside  of  a  cool,  broad  green 
lily  leaf,  and  on  a  slip  of  paper  twisted  in  with 
it  was  written : 

"  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil."  How 
Ruth  blessed  her  for  that  word !  Verily  she  felt 
that  she  was  walking  through  the  very  blackest 
of  the  shadows  I  It  reminded  her  that  she  had  a 
friend. 

Slowly  the  hours  dragged  on.  The  grand  and 
solemn  funeral  was  planned  and  the  plans  car 
ried  out.  Mr.  Wayne  was  among  the  very 
wealthy  of  the  city.  Ilis  father's  mansion  was 
shrouded  in  its  appropriate  crape,  the  rooms  and 
the  halls  and  the  rich,  dark  solemn  coffin  glitter 
ing  with  its  solid  silver  screws  and  handles,  were 
almost  hidden  in  rare  and  costly  flowers.  Ruth, 
in  the  deepest  of  mourning  robes,  accompanied 
by  her  father,  from  whose  shoulder  swept  long 
streamers  of  crape,  sat  in  the  Erskine  carriage 
and  followed  directly  after  the  hearse,  chief 
mourner  in  the  long  and  solemn  train. 

In  every  conceivable  way  that  love  could  de- 


Ruth  and  Harold.  845 

vise  and  wealth  carry  out,  were  the  last  tokens 
of  respect  paid  to  the  quiet  clay  that  understood 
not  what  was  passing  around  it. 

The  music  was  by  the  quartette  choir  of  the 
First  Church,  and  was  like  a  wail  of  angel  voices 
in  its  wonderful  pathos  and  tenderness. 

The  pastor  spoke  a  few  words,  tenderly,  sol 
emnly  pointing  the  mourners  to  One  who  alone 
could  sustain,  earnestly  urging  those  who  knew 
nothing  of  the  love  of  Christ  to  take  refuge  now 
in  his  open  arms  and  find  rest  there. 

But  alas,  alas  !  not  a  single  word  could  he  say 
about  the  soul  that  had  gone  out  from  that  si 
lent  body  before  them ;  gone  to  live  forever. 
Was  it  possible  for  those  holding  such  belief  as 
theirs  to  have  a  shadow  of  hope  that  the 
end  of  such  a  life  as  his  had  been  could  be 
bright  ? 

Not  one  of  those  who  understood  anything 
about  this  matter  dared  for  an  instant  to  hope  it. 
Tl'ey  understood  the  awful  solemn  silence  of  the 
minister.  There  was  nothing  for  that  grave  but 
silence.  Hope  for  the  living,  and  he  pointed 
them  earnestly  to  the  source  of  ull  hope  ;  but  for 
the  dead,  silence. 


846          The   Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

What  an  awfully  solemn  task  to  conduct  such 
funeral  services.  The  pastor  may  not  read  the 
comforting  words :  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  who 
die  in  the  Lord,"  because  before  them  lies  one 
who  did  not  die  in  the  Lord,  and  common  sense 
tells  the  most  thoughtless  that  if  those  are  blessed 
who  die  in  the  Lord  theie  must  be  a  reverse  side 
to  the  picture,  else  no  sense  to  the  statement. 
So  the  verse  must  be  passed  by.  It  is  too  late 
to  help  the  dead,  and  it  need  not  tear  the  hearts 
of  the  living.  He  can  not  read,  "  I  shall  go  to 
him,  but  he  shall  not  return  to  me." 

God  forbid,  prays  the  sad  pastor  in  his  heart, 
that  mother  or  father  or  friend  shall  so  die  as  to 
go  to  this  one,  who  did  not  die  in  the  Lord. 
We  can  not  even  hope  for  that.  All  the  long 
line  of  tender,  helpful  verses,  glowing  with  light 
for  the  coming  morning,  shining  with  immortal 
ity  and  unending  union  must  be  passed  by ;  for 
each  and  every  one  of  them  have  a  clause  which 
shows  unmistakably  that  the  immortality  is  glo 
rious  only  under  certain  conditions,  and  in  this 
case  they  have  not  been  met. 

There  must  in  these  verses,  too,  be  a  reverse 
side,  or  else  they  mean  nothing.  What  shall  the 


Ruth  and  Harold.  347 

pastor  do  ?  Clearly  he  can  only  say,  "  In  the 
midst  of  life  we  are  in  death."  That  is  true  ; 
his  audience  feel  it ;  and  he  can  only  pray  :  "  So 
teach  us  to  number  our  days  that  we  may  apply 
our  hearts  unto  wisdom." 

But,  oh,  how  can  the  mothers  stand  by  open 
graves  wherein  are  laid  their  sons  or  daughters, 
and  endure  the  thought  that  it  is  a  separation 
that  shall  stretch  through  eternity  !  How  won 
derful  that  any  of  us  are  careless  or  thoughtless 
for  a  moment  so  long  as  we  have  a  child  or  a 
friend  unsafe  ! 

During  all  this  time  of  trial  Ruth's  three 
friends  were  hovering  around  her,  trying  by  ev 
ery  possible  attention  and  tlioughtfulness  to  help 
or  comfort  her,  and  yet  feeling  their  powerless- 
ness  in  such  a  way  that  it  almost  made  them 
shrink  from  trying. 

"  Words  are  such  a  mocker}',"  Marion  said  to 
her  one  evening,  as  they  sat  together.  "  Some 
times  I  almost  hate  myself  for  trying  to  speak  to 
you  at  all.  What  can  any  human  being  say  to 
one  who  is  shrouded  in  an  awful  sorrow  ?  " 

Ruth  shuddered  visibly. 

**  It  w  an  '  awful '  sorrow,"  she  said ;  "  you 


348         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

have  used  the  right  word  with  which  to  express 
it ;  but  there  is  a  shade  to  it  that  you  do  not  uu- 
derstaud.  I  don't  believe  that  by  experience  you 
ever  will ;  I  pray  God  that  you  may  not.  Think 
of  burying  a  friend  in  the  grave  without  the 
slightest  hope  of  ever  meeting  him  in  peace 
again  1" 

"You  have  nothing  to  do  with  that,  Ruth; 
God  is  the  judge.  I  don't  think  you  ought  to 
allow  yourself  to  think  of  it." 

44  There  I  think  you  are  mistaken ;  I  believe  I 
ought  to  think  of  it.  Marion,  you  know,  and  1 
know,  that  there  is  simply  nothing  at  all  on 
which  to  build  a  hope  of  meeting  in  peace  the 
man  we  buried  last  week.  You  think  it  almost 
shocking  that  I  can  speak  of  him  in  that  way ; 
I  know  you  do.  People  are  apt  to  hide  behind 
the  very  flimsiest  vail  of  fancied  hopes  when 
they  talk  of  such  things. 

44  Perhaps  a  merciful  God  permits  some  to  hug 
a  worthless  hope  when  they  think  of  their  dead 
treasures,  since  it  can  do  no  harm  to  those  who 
are  gone  ;  but  I  am  not  one  of  that  class  of  peo 
ple.  Besides,  I  am  appearing  to  you,  and  every 
body,  in  a  false  light.  I  am  tired  of  it.  Marion, 


Muth  and  Harold.  849 

Mr.  Wayne  was  not  to  me  what  he  ought  to  have 
been,  since  I  was  his  promised  wife.  You  know 
howl  have  changed  of  late;  }"ou  know  theie 
was  hardly  a  thought  or  feeling  of  mine  in  which 
he  could  sympathize ;  but  the  worst  of  it  is,  he 
never  did  sympathize  with  me  in  the  true  sense ; 
he  never  filled  my  heart. 

"  My  promise  to  him  was  one  of  those  false  steps 
that  people  like  me,  who  are  ruled  by  society, 
take  because  it  seems  to  be  the  proper  thing  to 
do  next,  or  because  we  feel  it  might  as  well  be 
that  as  anything  ;  perhaps  because  it  will  please 
one's  father  in  a  business  point  of  view,  or  please 
one's  own  sense  of  importance  ;  satisfy  one's  de 
sire  to  be  foremost  in  the  fashionable  world.  I 
am  humiliating  myself  to  tell  you,  plainly,  that 
my  promise  meant  not  much  more  than  that.  1 
did  not  realize  how  empty  it  was  till  1  found 
that  all  my  plans,  and  aims,  and  hopes  in  life 
were  changed.  That,  in  short,  life  had  come  to 
seem  more  to  me  than  a  glittering  weariness, 
that  was  to  be  borne  with  the  best  grace  1  could 
assume.  This  was  nearly  all  I  had  found  in  so 
ciety,  or  hoped  to  find. 

"  I  followed  Mr.  Wayne  to  the  grav^  in  the  po- 


850         The  Ohautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

sition  of  chief  mourner,  because  I  felt  that  it  was 
a  token  of  respect  that  I  o\ved  to  the  memory  of 
the  man  whom  I  had  wronged,  and  because  I  felt 
that  the  world  had  no  business  with  our  private 
affairs ;  but  he  was  not  to  me  what  people  think 
he  was,  and  I  feel  as  though  [  wanted  you  to 
know  it,  even  though  it  humiliates  me  beyond 
measure  to  make  the  confession.  At  the  same 
time  I  have  an  awful  sorrow,  too  awful  to  be  ex 
pressed  in  words. 

"  Marion,  I  think  you  will  understand  what  I 
mean  when  I  say  that  I  believe  I  have  the  blood 
of  a  lost  soul  clinging  to  my  garments.  I  know 
as  well  as  I  sit  here  to-night  that  I  might  have 
influenced  Harold  Wayne  into  the  right  way.  I 
know  his  love  for  me  was  so  sincere,  and  so 
strong,  that  he  would  have  been  willing  to  try  to 
do  almost  anything  that  I  had  asked.  I  believe 
in  my  soul  that  had  I  urged  the  matter  of  per 
sonal  salvation  on  his  immediate  attention,  he 
would  have  given  it  thought.  But  I  never  did  — 
never. 

"  Marion,  even  on  that  last  evening  of  his  life 
—  I  mean  before  he  was  sick  —  when  he  himself 
invited  the  words,  I  was  silent.  I  did  not  mean 


Ruth  and  Harold.  351 

to  continue  so ;  I  meant,  when  I  got  ready,  to 
speak  to  him  about  this  matter ;  I  meant  to  do 
everything  right ;  but  I  was  determined  to  take 
my  own  time  for  it,  and  I  took  it,  and  now  he  ia 
gone!  Marion,  you  know  nothing  about  such  a 
sorrow  as  that !  Now,  why  did  I  act  in  this  in 
sane  way  ? 

"•  I  know  the  reason,  one  of  them  at  least ;  and 
the  awful  selfishness  and  cowardice  of  it  only 
brands  me  deeper.  It  was  because  I  was  afiaid 
to  have  him  become  a  Christian  man  I  I  knew 
if  he  did  I  should  have  no  excuse  for  breaking 
the  pledges  that  had  passed  between  us  ;  in  plain 
words,  I  would  have  no  excuse  for  not  marrying 
him  ;  and  I  did  not  want  to  do  it !  I  felt  that 
marriage  vows  would  mean  to  me  in  the  future 
what  they  never  meant  in  the  past,  and  that 
there  was  really  nothing  in  common  between 
Mr.  Wayne  and  myself;  that  I  could  not  assent 
to  the  marriage  service  with  him,  and  be  guilt 
less  before  God.  So  to  spare  myself,  to  have 
what  looked  like  a  conscientious  excuse  for 
breaking  vows  that  ought  never  to  have  been 
made,  I  deliberately  sacrificed  his  soul  I  Marion 
Wilbur,  think  of  tkat  I  " 


362         The   CTiautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

"  You  didu't  mean  to  do  that ! "  Marion  said, 
in  an  aAve-stricken  voice ;  she  was  astonished 
and  shocked,  and  bewildered  as  to  what  to 
say. 

Ruth  answered  her  almost  fiercely : 

"No, I  didn't  mean  to;  and  as  to  that,  I  never 
meant  to  do  anything  that  was  not  just  right  in 
my  life ;  but  I  meant  to  have  just  exactly  my 
own  way  of  doing  things,  and  I  tell  you  I  took 
it.  Now,  Marion,  while  I  blame  myself  as  no 
other  person  ever  can,  I  still  blame  others.  I 
was  never  taught  as  I  should  have  been  about 
the  sacredness  of  human  loves,  and  the  awful- 
ness  of  human  vows  and  pledges.  I  was  never 
taught  that  for  girls  to  dally  with  such  pledges, 
to  flirt  with  them,  before  they  knew  anything 
about  life  or  about  their  own  hearts  was  a  siii  in 
the  sight  of  God.  I  ought  to  have  been  so 
taught. 

"  Perhaps  if  I  had  had  a  mother  to  teach  me  I 
should  have  been  different ;  but  I  am  not  even 
sure  of  that.  Mothers  seem  to  me  to  allow 
strange  trifling  with  these  subjects,  even  if  they 
do  not  actually  prepare  the  way.  But  all  this 
does  not  relieve  me.  I  have  sinned;  no  one 


Ruth  and  Harold.  353 

but  myself  understands  how  deeply,  and  no  one 
but  me  knows  the  bitterness  of  it. 

"  Now  I  feel  as  though  the  whole  of  the  rest 
of  my  life  must  be  given  to  atone  for  this  hor 
rible  fatal  mistake.  I  wasted  the  last  hour 
I  ever  had  with  a  soul,  and  I  have  before 
me  the  awful  consciousness  that  I  might  have 
saved  it. 

"  It  is  all  done  now,  and  can  never  be  undone ; 
that  is  the  saddest  part  of  it.  But  there  is  one 
thing  I  can  do  ;  I  need  never  live  through  a 
like  experience  again  ;  I  will  give  the  rest  of  my 
life  to  atone  for  the  past ;  I  will  never  again  be 
guilty  of  coming  in  contact  with  a  soul,  unpre 
pared  for  death,  without  urging  upon  that  soul, 
as  often  as  I  have  opportunity,  the  necessity  for 
preparation ;  I  see  plainly  that  it  is  the  impor 
tant  thing  in  life." 

There  hovered  over  Marion's  mind,  while 
these  last  sentences  were  being  spoken,  words 
something  like  these : 

"  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth 
from  all  sin." 

She  almost  said  to  Ruth  that  even  for  this 
gin  the  atonement  had  been  made  ;  she  must 


854          The   Chautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

not  try  to  make  another.  But  the  error  that 
only  faintly  glimmered  hi  Ruth's  sentence  was 
so  mixed  with  solemn  and  helpful  truth  that  she 
felt  at  a  loss  as  to  whether  there  was  error  at  all, 
&nd  BO  held  her  peace. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


REVIVAL. 

S  the  early  autumn  months  slipped  away, 
and  touches  of  winter  began  to  show 
around  them,  it  became  evident  that  a  new  feel 
ing  was  stirring  in  the  First  Church. 

No  need  now  to  work  for  increased  numbers 
at  the  prayer-meeting;  at  least  there  was  not 
the  need  that  formerly  existed  ;  the  room  was 
full,  and  the  meetings  solemn  and  earnest.  The 
Spirit  of  God  was  hovering  over  the  place. 
Drops  of  the  coming  shower  were  already  begin 
ning  to  fall. 

What  was  the  cause  of  the  quickened  hearts  ? 

(355) 


856         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Nome. 

Who  knew  save  the  Watcher  on  the  tower  in 
the  eternal  city?  Was  it  because  of  the  sudden, 
and  solemn,  and  hopeless  death  occurring  in  the 
very  center  of  what  was  called  "  the  first  cir 
cles  ?  "  Was  it  the  spirit  developed  apparently 
by  this  death,  showing  itself  in  eager,  indefatiga 
ble  effort  wherever  Ruth  Erskine  went,  with 
whomsoever  she  carne  in  contact? 

Was  it  Marion  Wilbur's  new  way  of  teaching, 
that  included  not  only  the  intellect  of  her  pupils. 
but  looked  beyond  that,  with  loving  word,  for 
the  empty  soul  ?  Was  it  Eurie  Mitchell's  pa 
tient  way  of  taking  up  home  work  and  care,  that 
had  been  distasteful  to  her,  and  that  she  had 
shunned  in  days  gone  by?  Was  it  Flossy  Ship 
ley's  way  of  teaching  the  Sabbath-school  lessons 
to  "  those  boys  "  of  hers  ? 

Was  it  the  quickened  sense  which  throbbed  in 
the  almost  discouraged  heart  of  the  pastor  when 
ever  he  came  in  contact  with  either  of  these 
four?  Was  it  the  patient,  persistent,  unassum 
ing  work  of  John  Warden  as  he  went  about  in 
the  shop  among  his  fellow- workmen,  dropping 
an  earnest  word  here,  a  pressing  invitation  there  ? 

Who  shall  tell  whether  either,  or  all  of  these 


Revival.  857 

influences,  combined  with  hundreds  <jt'  others, 
set  in  motion  by  like  causes,  were  the  beginnings 
of  the  solemn  and  blessed  harvest  time,  that- 
dawned  at  last  on  those  who  had  been  sowing 
iu  tears? 

The  fact  was  appr/ent.  Even  in  the  First 
Church,  that  model  of  propriety  and  respectabil 
ity,  that  church  which  had  so  feared  excitement 
or  unusual  efforts  of  any  sort,  there  was  a  revi 
val  I 

Among  those  who  were  coming,  and  who  were 
growing  willing  to  let  others  know  that  they  were 
awakening  to  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  these 
things,  were  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mitchell,  Eurie's  fa 
ther  and  mother.  To  themselves  they  did  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  the  change  in  Euiie  was  so 
marked  and  so  increasing  in  its  power  over  her 
life,  that  it  obliged  them  to  think  seriously  of 
this  thing. 

Among  the  interested  also  were  a  score  01 
more  of  girls  from  Marion's  room  in  the  great 
school ;  and  more  came  every  day.  Marion's  face 
was  shining,  and  she  gathered  her  brood  about 
her  as  a  mother  would  the  children  of  her  love 
and  longing. 


858         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

Among  them  were  four  of  Flossy's  boys  ;  and 
half  a  dozen  boys,  friends  of  theirs,  who  xvere 
not  Flossj^'s,  and  who  yet,  somewajr,  joined  her 
train  and  managed  to  be  "  counted  in."  Among 
them  was  Judge  Erskine  —  I  mean  among  those 
who  continued  to  come  to  the  meetings  —  com 
ing  alone,  and  being  reverent  and  thoughtful 
during  the  services,  but  going  away  with  bowed 
head,  and  making  no  sign :  there  was  something 
in  the  way  with  Judge  Erskine  that  no  one  un 
derstood. 

As  for  Ruth  —  how  she  worked  during  these 
days  I  Not  with  a  glad  light  in  her  eyes,  such  as 
Marion  and  Flossy  hud  ;  not  with  a  satisfied  face 
as  if  the  question  of  something  to  do  that  was 
worth  doing,  and  that  helped  her,  had  been  set 
tled,  such  as  Eurie  Mitchell  wore ;  rather  with  a 
Bad  feverish  impatience  to  accomplish  results ; 
shrinking  from  nothing,  willing  to  do  anything, 
go  anywhere,  yet  meeting  with  far  less  encour 
agement,  and  seeing  far  less  fruits,  than  any  of 
the  others.  She  did  not  realize  that  she  was 
working  with  a  sort  of  desperate  intention  of 
overbalancing  the  mischief  of  her  mistakes  by  so 
much  work  now,  that  there  would  be  a  sort  of 


Revival.  359 

even  balance  at  the  scales.  She  would  have 
been  shocked  had  she  understood  her  own 
heart. 

Meantime,  where  was  Satan  ?  Content  to  let 
this  reaping  time  alone  ?  Oh,  bless  you,  no  I 
Never  busier,  never  more  alert,  and  watchful, 
and  cautious,  and  skillful  than  now  !  It  was 
wonderful,  too,  how  many  helpers  he  found 
whose  names  were  actually  on  the  roll  of  the 
First  Church ! 

There  were  those  who  had  had  in  mind  all  the 
fall  having  little  entertainments,  "just  a  few 
friends,  you  know,  nothing  like  a  party ;  they 
were  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  have  them  just  now 
while  there  were  meetings ;  but  Miss  Gilmore 
was  in  town,  and  would  be  here  so  short  a  time, 
they  must  invite  her ;  it  would  not  be  treating 
her  well  to  take  no  notice  of  her  visit;  and, 
really,  the  people  whom  they  proposed  to  invite 
were  those  who  did  not  attend  church,  so  no 
harm  could  be  done." 

These  were  some  of  Satan's  helpers.  There 
were  others  who  were  more  outspoken.  They 
"  did  not  believe  in  special  efforts ;  seasons  of 
excitement ;  religious  dissipations — nothing  else. 


360         The  Chautauqua  Q-irls  at  Home. 

People  should  be  religious  at  all  times,  not  put 
it  oil  for  special  occasions." 

It  was  well  enough  to  have  a  special  season  foi 
parties,  and  a  special  season  for  going  to  the  sea 
side,  and  a  special  season  for  doing  one's  dress 
making,  and  a  special  season  for  cleaning  house, 
and  a  special  season  for  everything  under  the  sun 
but  religious  meetings;  these  should  be  con 
ducted  —  at  all  times.  Was  that  what  they 
meant  ?  Oh,  dear,  no  I  They  should  not  be  con 
ducted  at  all.  Was  that  what  they  meant? 
Who  should  tell  what  they  did  mean  ?  One 
lady  said : 

"  The  idea  of  the  bell  ringing  every  evening 
for  prayer-meeting  I  It  was  too  absurd  !  Peo 
ple  must  have  a  little  time  for  recreation ;  these 
weeks  just  before  the  holidays  were  always  by 
common  consent  the  time  for  festivities  of  all 
sorts;  it  was  downright  folly  to  expect  young 
people  to  give  up  their  pleasures  and  go  every 
evening  to  meeting." 

So  she  issued  her  cards  for  a  party,  and  gath 
ered  as  many  of  the  young  people  about  her  as 
she  could.  And  this  woman  was  a  member  of 
the  First  Church !  And  tliis  woman  professed 


Revival.  361 

to  believe  in  the  verse  that  read,  "  Whether 
therefore  ye  eat  or  drink,  or  whatever  ye  do,  do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God  !  " 

There  were  others  who  went  to  these  parties, 
hushing  their  consciences  meantime  by  the  ex 
planation  that  the  social  duties  were  important 
ones,  and  that  one  whose  heart  was  right  could 
serve  God  as  well  having  religious  conversation 
at  a  party,  as  she  could  occupying  a  seat  at  a 
prayer-meeting.  Perhaps  they  really  believed 
it.  What  marvel?  Satan  himself  is  trans 
formed  into  an  angel  of  light. 

The  trouble  about  the  sincerity  was,  that  those 
same  persons  were  not  unaware  of  certain  sneering 
remarks  that  were  being  made,  to  the  effect  that 
if  church-members  could  go  to  parties  when  there 
were  meetings  at  their  own  church,  they  could 
surely  be  excused  from  the  meetings ;  and  they 
could  not  have  been  utterly  ignorant  of  the 
verse  that  read  plainly,  "  Let  not  your  good  be 
evil  spoken  of." 

There  were  still  others  who  compromised  mat 
ters,  taking  the  meetings  for  the  first  hour  of  the 
evening  and  a  party  for  the  next  three  ;  and  the 
lookers-on  said,  sneeringly,  that  there  was  a  strife 


362         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

going  on  between  the  soul,  the  flesh  and  the 
devil,  and  they  wondered  which  would  conquer  I 

So  all  these  classes  flourished  and  worked  in 
their  different  ways  in  the  First  Church  ;  just  as 
they  always  will  work,  until  that  day  when  the 
wheat  shall  be  forever  separated  from  the  tares. 
The  wonder  is  why  so  many  blinded  eyes  must 
insist  that  because  there  are  tares,  there  is  there 
fore  no  wheat.  The  Lord  said,  "  Let  both  grow 
together  until  the  harvest." 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  Ruth  said  one  day  to 
Marion,  as  they  talked  the  work  over,  and  tried 
to  lay  plans  for  future  helpfulness.  "  Why  do 
you  suppose  it  is  that  I  seem  able  to  do  nothing 
at  all  ?  I  try  with  all  my  might ;  my  heart  is 
surely  in  it,  and  I  long  with  a  desire  that  seems 
almost  as  if  it  would  consume  me,  to  see  some 
fruit  of  my  work,  and  yet  I  don't.  What  can  be 
the  difficulty?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  Marion  said,  speaking  hesitat 
ingly,  as  one  who  would  like  to  say  more  if  she 
dared.  "  I  don't  feel  competent  to  answer  that 
question,  and  yet,  sometimes,  I  have  feared  that 
you  might  be  trying  to  compromise  with  the 
Lord." 


Revival.  363 

"  I  don't  understand  you  ;  in  what  way  do  you 
mean  ?  I  try  to  do  my  duty  in  every  place  that 
I  can  think  of.  I  am  not  compromising  on  any 
subject,  so  far  as  I  know.  Jf  I  am,  I  will  cer 
tainly  be  grateful  to  any  one  who  will  point  it 
out  to  me." 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  it  is  sufficiently  clear  to 
my  own  mind  to  be  able  to  point  it  out,"  Marion 
said,  still  visibly  embarrassed.  "  But,  Ruth,  it 
sometimes  seems  to  me  as  if  you  had  said  to 
yourself,  'Now  I  will  work  so  much  and  pray  so 
much,  and  then  I  ought  to  have  rest  from  the 
pain  that  is  goading  me  on,  and  I  ought  to  be 
able  to  feel  that  I  have  atoned  for  past  mistakes, 
and  the  account  against  me  is  squared.'  " 

Ruth  turned  from  her  impatiently. 

"  You  are  a  strange  comforter,"  she  said,  al 
most  indignantly.  "  Do  you  mean  by  that  to  in 
timate  that  you  think  I  ought  never  to  look  or 
hope  for  rest  of  mind  again  because  I  have  made 
one  fearful  mistake  ?  Do  you  mean  that  I  ought 
always  to  carry  with  me  the  sense  of  the  bur 
den?" 

"  I  mean  no  such  thing.  You  cannot  think 
I  so  estimate  the  power  of  the  sacrifice  for  sin. 


864         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

Ruth,  I  mean  simply  this  :  Nothing  that  you  or 
I  can  do  can  possibly  make  one  sin  white,  one 
mistake  as  though  it  had  not  been,  give  one  mo 
ment  of  rest  to  a  troubled  heart.  But  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  can  do  all  this,  and  it  does  seem 
to  me  that  you  are  ignoring  it,  and  trying  to 
work  out  your  own  rest." 

Ruth  was  thoughtful;  the  look  of  vexation 
passed  from  her  face. 

"  It  may  be  so,"  she  said,  after  a  long  silence. 
"  I  begin  dimly  to  understand  your  meaning ; 
but  I  don't  know  how  to  help  it,  how  to  feel  dif 
ferently.  I  surely  ought  to  work,  and  surely  I 
have  a  right  to  expect  results." 

"  In  one  sense,  yes,  and  in  another  I  don't  be 
lieve  we  have.  I  begin  to  feel  more  and  more 
that  you  and  I  have  got  in  some  way  to  be  made 
to  understand  that  it  is  not  our  way,  but  the 
Lord's,  that  we  must  be  willing  to  do,  or,  what 
is  harder,  to  leave  undone,  exactly  what  he  says, 
do  or  not  do.  I  can't  help  feeling  that  you  are 
planning  in  your  own  heart  just  what  ought  to 
be  done,  and  then  allowing  yourself  to  feel  al 
most  indignant  and  ill-used  because  the  work  is 
not  accomplished." 


Revival.  865 

"  [  don't  know  how  you  have  succeeded  in 
seeing  so  deeply  into  my  heart,"  Ruth  said,  with 
a  wan  smile.  "  I  believe  it  is  so,  though  I  am  not 
sure  that  I  ever  saw  it  before." 

"  I  know  why  I  see  it ;  because  it  is  my  temp 
tation  as  well  as  yours.  You  and  I  are  both 
strong-willed ;  we  have  both  been  used  to  hav 
ing  our  own  way  ;  we  want  to  continue  to  have 
it ;  we  want  to  do  the  right  things  provided  we 
can  have  the  choosing  of  them.  Flossy,  now, 
with  her  yielding  nature,  is  willing  to  be  led,  as 
you  and  I  are  not.  I  have  to  fight  against  this 
tendency  to  carry  out  my  plans  and  look  for  my 
results  all  the  time.  The  fact  is,  Ruth,  we  must 
learn  to  work  for  Christ,  and  not  set  up  business 
for  ourselves,  and  still  expect  him  to  give  the 
wages." 

"Still,"  said  Ruth,  "I  don't  know.  There 
seems  to  me  to  be  nothing  that  I  am  not  willing 
to  do.  I  can't  think  of  anything  so  hard  that  I 
would  not  unhesitatingly  do  it.  I  have  changed 
wonderfully  in  that  respect.  A  little  while  ago 
I  was  not  willing  to  do  anything.  Now  I  am 
ready  for  anything  that  can  be  done." 

"  Are  you  ? "   Marion  asked,  with  a  visible 


366         The  CJiautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

shiver.  "  Ruth,  are  you  sure  f  I  can't  say  that ; 
I  want  to  say  it,  and  I  pray  that  I  may  be  able  ; 
yet  I  can  think  of  so  many  things  that  I  might 
be  called  on  to  do  that  I  shrink  from.  I  have 
given  up  trying  to  do  them,  and  fallen  back  on 
the  promise,  '  My  grace  is  sufficient,'  only  pray 
ing,  4  Lord,  give  me  the  needed  grace  for  to-day ; 
I  will  not  reach  out  for  to-morrow.'  And,  Ruth,  I 
feel  sure  that  neither  you  nor  I  must  try  to  cover 
our  past  errors  with  present  usefulness.  Noth 
ing  but  the  blood  of  Christ  can  cover  any  wrong; 
we  must  rest  on  that,  and  on  that  alone." 

"  I  believe  I  only  understand  in  part  what  you 
mean.  I  don't  see  how  you  ever  reached  so  far 
ahead  of  me  in  faith  and  in  understanding.  But 
I  believe  you  are  farther.  Still,  I  can't  think  of 
anything  that  I  am  not  willing  and  ready  to  do. 
I  wish  I  might  be  tried  ;  I  wish  He  would  give 
me  some  work,  not  of  my  own  planning,  that 
He  might  see  how  willing  I  am  to  do  anything." 

This  was  Ruth's  last  remark  to  her  friend  that 
evening.  Flossy  and  Eurie  both  came  in,  and 
they  went  out  to  the  meeting  together,  Ruth 
thinking  still  of  the  talk  they  had,  and  feeling 
sure  that  she  could  do  whatever  she  found,  and 


Revival. 


367 


yet  the  Master  was  planning  a  way  for  her  that 
very  evening,  the  entrance  to  which  she  had 
never  seen,  never  dreamed  of  as  possible.  So 
many  ways  he  has  for  leading  us  I  Blessed  are 
those  who  have  come  to  the  experience  that 
makes  them  willing  to  be  led,  even  in  darkness 
and  blindness,  trusting  to  the  Sun  of  Righteous 
ness  for  light. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


THE  STRANGE  8TOEY. 


ERSKINE  was  in  his  library,  pac- 
ing  slowly  back  and  forth,  his  forehead 
lined  with  heavy  wrinkles,  and  his  face  wearing 
the  expression  of  one  involved  in  deep  and  trou 
bled  thought.  He  had  just  come  home  from  the 
evening  meeting,  the  last  meeting  of  the  series 
that  had  held  the  attention  of  so  many  hearts 
during  four  weeks  of  harvest  time. 

Judge  Erskine  had  been  a  silent  and  attentive 
listener.  All  through  the  solemnities  of  the  ser 
mon,  that  seemed  written  for  his  sake,  and  to 
point  right  at  him,  he  had  never  moved  his  keen, 
steady  eyes  away  from  the  preacher's  face.  Tha 
(368) 


The  Strange  Story.  869 

text  of  that  sermon  he  was  not  likely  to  forget. 
He  had  looked  it  up,  and  read  it,  with  it3  con 
nections,  the  moment  he  reached  the  privacy  of 
his  library. 

"  The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended, 
and  we  are  not  saved."  That  was  the  text. 
Judge  Erskine  said  it  over  and  over  to  his  own 
soul.  It  was  true  ;  it  fitted  his  condition  as  pre 
cisely  as  though  it  had  been  written  for  him. 
The  harvest  that  would  tell  for  eternity  had  been 
reaped  all  around  him.  He  had  looked,  and  lis 
tened,  and  resolved ;  and  still  he  stood  outside, 
ungarnered. 

Moreover,  one  portion  of  the  solemn  sermon 
fitted  him,  also.  When  Dr.  Dennis  spoke  of 
those  who  had  let  this  season  pass,  unhelped,  be 
cause  they  had  an  inner  life  that  would  not  bear 
the  gaze  of  the  public,  because  they  were  not 
willing  to  drag  out  their  past  and  cast  it  away 
from  them,  Judge  Erskine  had  started  and  fixed 
a  stern  glance  on  the  preacher. 

Did  he  know  his  secret,  that  had  been  hidden 
away  with  such  persistent  care?  What  scoun 
drel  could  have  enlightened  him  ?  This,  only 
for  a  moment ;  then  he  settled  back  and  realized 


370          TJte  Cliautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

his  folly.  Dr.  Dennis  knew  nothing  of  himself 
or  his  past.  Then  came  that  other  awfully  sol 
emn  thought  —  there  was  One  who  did  ?  Could 
it  be  that  his  voice  bad  instructed  the  pastor 
what  special  point  to  make  in  that  sermon,  with 
such  emphasis  and  power?  Was  the  keen  eye 
of  the  Eternal  God  pointing  his  finger,  now,  at 
him,  and  saying  ;  "  Thou  art  the  man  ?  " 

He  knew  all  this  was  true ;  he  knew  that  the 
work  of  the  past  month  had  greatly  moved  him  ; 
he  knew  on  the  evening  when  the  text  had  been, 
"  Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian," 
that  he  had  felt  himself  almost  persuaded ;  he 
knew  then,  as  he  did  now,  that  but  one  thing 
stood  in  the  way  of  his  entire  persuasion. 

As  he  walked  up  and  down  his  library  on  this 
evening,  he  felt  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind 
that  the  time  had  arrived  when  he  was  being 
called  on  persistently  for  a  decision.  More  than 
that,  he  felt  that  the  decision  was  to  be  not  only 
for  time,  but  for  eternity ;  that  he  must  settle 
the  question  of  his  future  then  and  there.  He 
had  locked  the  door  after  him,  as  he  came  into 
the  library,  with  a  sort  of  grim  determination  to 
settle  the  question  before  he  stepped  into  the 


The  Strange  tilory.  371 

outside  world  again.  How  would  it  be  settled  * 
He  did  not  know  himself.  He  did  not  dare  tc 
think  how  it  would  end  ;  he  simply  felt  that  the 
conflict  must  end. 

Meantime,  Ruth  was  up-stairs  on  her  knees, 
praying  for  her  father.  Her  heart  felt  very 
heavy.  She  had  prayed  for  this  father  with  all 
her  soul;  prayed,  with  what  she  felt  was  a  de 
gree  of  faith,  that  this  evening,  -at  the  meeting, 
he  might  settle  the  question  at  issue,  and  settle 
it  forever.  She  had  felt  a  bitter,  and  almost  an 
overwhelming,  disappointment  that  the  meeting 
closed  and  left  him  just  where  he  had  stood  for  a 
month. 

There  seemed  nothing  left  to  do.  She  had 
not  spared  her  words,  her  entreaties.  She  had 
gotten  bravely  over  her  fears  of  approaching  her 
father.  But  now  it  seemed  to  her  that  there 
was  nothing  left  to  say.  She  could  still  pray, 
and  it  was  with  a  half-despairing  cry  that  she 
fell  on  her  knees,  realizing  in  her  very  soul  that 
only  the  power  of  God  could  convert  her  father. 
Into  the  midst  of  this  longing,  clinging  cry  for 
help  there  came  a  knock. 

"  Judge  Erskine  would  like  to  have  you  come 


372       The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Homt. 

to  the  library  for  a  few  minutes,  if  you  have  not 
retired." 

This  was  Katie  Flinn's  message.  And  Ruth, 
a.B  she  swiftly  set  about  obeying  the  summons, 
said: 

"  Oh,  Katie,  pray  for  father ! "  for  among  those 
who,  during  the  last  few  weeks,  had  learned  to 
pray  was  Katie  Flinn.  Poor  Katie,  with  the 
simple  child-like  faith  and  loving  heart  which  she 
brought  to  the  service,  was  destined  to  be  a 
shining  light  in  a  dark  world ;  and  the  glory 
thereof  would  sparkle  forever  in  Flossy  Ship 
ley's  crown. 

Judge  Erskine  turned  as  his  daughter  opened 
the  door,  and  motioned  her  to  a  seat.  Then  he 
continued  his  walk.  Something  in  his  face 
hushed  into  silence  the  words  that  were  on  her 
lips  ;  but  presently  he  stopped  before  her,  and 
his  voice  startled  her  with  its  strangeness. 

wMy  daughter,  I  have  something  to  tell  you, 
and  something  to  ask  you.  I  shall  have  to  cause 
you  great  grief  and  shame,  and  I  want  to  begin 
first  by  asking  you  to  forgive  your  father." 

Ruth  felt  her  face  growing  pale.  What  could 
he  mean?  Had  she  not  always  looked  up  to 


TJte  Strange  Story.  373 

him  as  above  most  men,  even  Christian  men?  — 
faultless  in  his  business  transactions,  blameless 
in  his  lift1?  She  attempted  to  speak,  and  yet 
felt  that  she  did  not  know  what  to  say.  Appar 
ently  he  expected  no  word  from  her ;  for  he  went 
on  hurriedly : 

"You  have,  during  these  few  weeks  past, 
shown  a  sort  of  interest  in  me,  that  I  never  saw 
manifested  before.  I  have  reason  to  think  that 
you  have  concluded,  lately,  that  the  most  earnest 
desire  you  can  have  concerning  your  father,  is  to 
see  him  a  Christian  man  ?  I  can  conscientiously 
tell  you  that  I  have  felt  the  necessity  for  this  ex 
perience  as  I  never  did  before ;  that  I  realize  its 
importance,  and  that  I  want  it;  yet  there  is 
something  in  the  way,  something  that  I  must  do, 
and  confess,  and  abide  by  for  the  future,  that  I 
shrink  from  more  on  your  account  than  my  own. 
My  child,  do  you  want  this  thing  enough  to  en 
dure  disgrace  and  humiliation,  and  a  cross, 
heavy  and  hopeless,  all  your  life?" 

"  Father,"  she  said,  half  rising,  and  looking 
at  him  with  a  bewildered  air,  a  vague  doubt  of 
bis  sanity,  and  a  half  fear  of  his  presence,  creep 
ing  into  her  heart,  "what  can  you  possibly 


374         The  Chautauqua  (jf-irls  at  Home. 

mean  ?  How  can  disgrace,  or  cross-bearing,  or 
trouble  of  any  sort,  be  connected  with  you  ?  I 
cannot  understand  you." 

"I  know  you  can  not.  You  think  I  am  talk 
ing  wildly,  and  you  are  half  afraid  of  me  ;  but 
I  am  perfectly  sane.  I  wish,  with  all  my  soul, 
that  a  certain  portion  of  my  life  could  be  called 
a  wild  dream  of  a  disordered  brain ;  but  it  is 
solmnly  true.  Ruth,  if  I  come  out  before  the 
world  and  avow  myself  a  Christian  man,  with 
the  determination  to  abide  by  the  teachings  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  it  involves  my  bringing  to 
this  house  a  woman  who  will  have  to  be  re 
cognized  as  my  wife,  and  a  girl  who  will  have  to 
share  with  you  as  my  daughter ;  a  woman  whom 
you  will  have  to  call  mother,  and  a  girl  who  is 
your  sister.  Are  you  equal  to  that  ?  " 

Every  trace  of  blood  left  Ruth  Erskine's  face, 
Her  father  watched  her  narrowly,  with  his  hand 
touching  the  bell-rope  ;  it  seemed  as  if  she  must 
faint ;  but  8he  motioned  his  hand  away. 

"  Don't  ring,"  were  the  first  words  she  said ; 
•'  I  am  not  going  to  faint.  Father,  tell  me  what 
you  mean." 

The  actual  avowal  made,  and  the  fact  estab  • 


Strange  Story.  375 


lished  that  his  daughter  was  able  to  bear  it,  and 
to  still  keep  the  story  between  themselves,  seemed 
to  quiet  Judge  Erskine.  His  intense  and  almost 
uncontrollable  excitement  subsided;  the  wild 
look  in  his  eyes  calmed,  and,  drawing  a  chair  be 
side  his  daughter,  he  began  in  a  low  steady  voice 
to  tell  her  the  strange  story  : 

"Acts  that  involve  a  lifetime  of  trouble  can 
be  told  in  a  few  words,  Ruth.  When  your 
mother  died  I  was  almost  insane  with  grief;  I 
can't  tell  you  about  that  time  ;  I  was  young  and 
I  was  gay,  and  full  of  plans,  and  aims,  and  in 
tentions,  in  all  of  which  she  had  been  involved. 
Then  came  the  sudden  blank,  and  it  almost  un 
settled  my  reason.  There  was  a  young  woman 
boarding  at  the  same  house  where  I  went,  who 
was  kind  to  me,  who  befriended  me  in  various 
ways,  and  tried  to  help  me  to  endure  my  sor 
row.  She  grew  to  be  almost  necessary  to  my  en 
durance  of  myself.  After  a  little  I  married  her. 
I  did  not  take  this  step  till  I  found  that  my 
friendship  with  her,  or,  rather  hers  with  me,  was 
compromising  her  in  the  eyes  of  others.  Let  me 
hurry  over  it,  Ruth.  We  lived  together  but  a 
few  weeks  ;  then  I  was  obliged  to  go  abroad. 


f»76         The  CJtautauqua  Girts  at  Home. 

Away  from  old  scenes  and  associations,  arid 
plunged  into  business  cares,  I  gradually  recov 
ered  my  usual  tone  of  mind.  But  it  was  not  till 
I  came  home  again  that  I  discovered  what  a  fatal 
blunder  I  had  made.  That  young  woman  had 
not  a  single  idea  in  common  with  my  plans  and 
aims  in  life  ;  she  was  ignorant,  uncultured,  and, 
it  seemed  to  me,  unendurable.  How  I  ever  al 
lowed  myself  to  be  such  a  fool  I  do  not  know. 
But  up  to  this  time,  I  had  at  least,  not  been  a 
villain.  I  didn't  desert  her,  Ruth ;  I  made  a  de 
liberate  compromise  with  her ;  she  was  to  take 
her  child  and  go  away,  hundreds  of  miles  away, 
where  I  would  not  be  likely  ever  to  come  in  con 
tact  with  her  again,  and  I  was  to  take  your 
mother's  child  and  go  where  I  pleased.  Of  course 
I  was  to  support  her,  and  I  have  done  so  ever 
since ;  that  was  eighteen  years  ago ;  she  is  still 
living,  and  the  daughter  is  living.  I  have  always 
been  careful  to  keep  them  supplied  with  money ; 
I  have  tried  to  have  done  for  the  girl  what 
money  could  do ;  but  I  have  never  seen  their 
faces  since  that  time.  Now,  Ruth,  you  know  the 
miserable  story.  There  are  a  hundred  details 
that  I  could  give  you,  that  perhaps  would  lead 


The  Strange  Story.  877 

you  to  Lave  more  pity  for  your  father,  if  it  did 
not  lead  you  to  despise  him  more  for  his  weak 
ness.  It  is  hard  to  be  despised  by  one's  child.  I 
tell  you  truly,  Ruth,  that  the  bitterest  of  this 
bitterness  is  the  thought  of  you." 

The  proud  man's  lip  quivered  and  his  voice 
trembled,  just  here. 

Poor  Ruth  Erskine !  "  I  am  willing  to  do 
anything"  she  had  said  to  Marion, not  two  hours 
before ;  and  here  was  a  thing,  the  possibility  of 
which  she  had  never  dreamed,  staring  her  in  the 
face,  waiting  to  be  done,  and  she  felt  that  she 
could  not  do  ifc.  Oh,  why  was  it  necessary  ? 
"  Why  not  let  everything  be  as  it  has  been  ?  "  said 
that  xvily  villain  Satan,  whispering  in  her  ears. 
"  They  were  false  vows ;  they  are  better  broken 
than  kept.  He  does  not  love  her,  though  he 
said  he  did.  And  how  can  we  ever  endure  it, 
the  shame,  the  disgrace,  the  horrid  explanations 
our  name,  the  Erskine  name,  on  everybody's  lips 
common  loafers  sneering  at  us  ?  And  then  to 
have  the  family  changed ;  myself  to  be  only  a 
back  figure ;  a  mother  who  is  not,  and  never 
was  my  mother,  taking  my  place  ;  and  the  other 
one  —  Oh,  it  can  not  be  possible  that  we  must 


378         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

endure  this !  There  must  be  some  other  way. 
They  are  doubtless  contented,  why  could  it  not 
remain  as  it  is  ?  " 

As  if  to  answer  her  unspoken  thoughts,  Judge 
Ersldne  suddenly  said: 

"  I  have  canvassed  the  entire  subject  in  all  its 
bearings,  you  may  be  sure  of  that.  I  am  living 
a  lie.  I  am  saying  my  wife  is  dead,  when  a 
woman  to  whom  before  God  I  gave  that  name  is 
living ;  I  am  saying  that  I  have  but  one  child, 
when  there  is  another  to  whom  I  am  as  certainly 
father  as  I  am  to  j-ou.  I  am  leaving  them,  nay, 
obliging  them,  to  live  a  daily  lie.  I  have  assured 
myself  to  a  certainty  that  one  sin  can  never  be 
atoned  for  by  another  sin  ;  there  is  but  one  atone 
ment  ;  and  the  Source  of  all  help  says,  '  If  we 
confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins ;  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unright 
eousness.'  I  know  there  is  only  one  way  of 
cleansing,  daughter." 

"  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan."  The  only  per 
fect  life  gave  that  sentence  once,  not  alone  for 
Himself ;  thank  God  he  has  many  a  time  since 
enabled  his  weak  children  of  the  flesh  to  repeat 
it  in  triumph.  The  grace  came  then  and  there 


The  Strange  Story. 

to  Ruth  Erskine.  She  rose  up  from  her  chair, 
and  going  over  to  her  father  did  what  she  had 
never  remembered  doing  in  her  life  before.  She 
bent  down  and  wound  both  arms  around  his 
neck  and  kissed  him.  Her  voice  was  low  and 
steady : 

u  Father,  don't  let  this,  or  anything  earthly, 
stand  between  you  and  Christ.  You  are  not  a 
sinner  above  all  others.  It  is  only  the  interpos 
ing  hand  of  God  that  has  kept  me  from  taking 
sinful  vows  upon  my  lips.  Let  us  do  just  what 
is  right.  Send  for  them  to  come  home,  and  I 
will  try  to  be  a  daughter  arid  a  sister  ;  and  I  will 
stand  by  you,  and  help  )rou  in  every  possible 
way.  There  are.  harder  trials  than  ours  will  be, 
after  all." 

It  was  his  daughter  who  finally  and  utterly 
broke  the  proud,  haughty  heart.  Judge  Erskine 
bowed  himself  before  her  and  sobbed  like  a  child 
in  the  bitterness  and  the  humiliation  of  his  soul. 

"  God  bless  you,"  he  said,  at  last,  in  broken 
utterance.  "  There  is  an  Almighty  Saviour ;  I 
need  nothing  more  than  your  words  to  convince 
me  of  the  truth  of  that.  If  love  to  him  can  lead 
your  heart  to  such  forgiveness  as  this,  what  must 


880         The   Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

his  forgiveness  be  ?  Ruth,  you  have  saved  ray 
soul ;  I  will  give  up  the  struggle  ;  I  have  tried 
to  fight  it  out ;  I  have  tried  to  say  that  I  coulJ 
not ;  for  my  own  sake,  and  for  my  own  name,  it 
seemed  impossible.  Then  when  I  got  beyond 
that,  and  felt  that  for  myself,  if  I  could  have 
rest  in  the  love  of  Christ,  and  could  feel  that  he 
forgave  me,  I  cared  for  nothing  else.  Thsu  I 
said,  'I  can  not  do  this,  for  my  child's  sake;  I 
can  never  plunge  her  into  this  depth  of  sin  and 
shame.'  Then,  my  daughter,  there  came  to  me  a 
message  from  God,  and  of  all  those  that  could 
come  to  a  mi  "enable  man  like  me,  it  was  this: 
'  He  that  love)  l\  son  or  daughter  more  than  m<j, 
is  not  worthy  of  me.'  Then  I  saw  that  1  rr.not 
be  willing  even  to  lose  your  love,  to  make  you 
despise  me ;  and  that  was  the  bitterest  r  up  of 
all.  But,  thank  God,  he  has  spared  me  this. 
God  bless  you,  my  daughter." 

There  was  something  almost  terrible  to  Rut^ 
in  seeing  her  cold,  calm  father  so  moved.  She 
had  never  realized  what  awfully  solemn  things 
tears  were  till  she  saw  them  on  her  father's 
cheeks,  and  felt  them  falling  hot  on  her  head, 
from  eyes  so  unused  to  weeping.  The  ldsseu»  slid 


The  Strange  Story.  381 

gave  him  were  very  soft  and  clinging  —  full  of 
tender,  soothing  touches.  Then  father  and 
daughter  knelt  together,  and  the  long,  long 
struggle  with  siu  and  pride  and  silence  was  con 
cluded. 

Do  you  think  this  was  a  lasting  victory  for 
Ruth  Erskine  ?  You  do  not  understand  the 
power  of  "  that  old  serpent,  the  Devil,"  if  you 
can  not  think  how  he  came  to  her  again  and 
again  in  the  silence  of  her  own  room,  even  into 
the  midst  of  her  rejoicings  over  the  newly- washed 
soul,  even  while  the  joy  in  heaven  among  the  an- 
$els  was  still  ringing  out  over  her  father,  came 
whispering  to  her  heart  to  say  : 

"  Oh,  I  can't,  I  can't.  Think  of  it !  The 
Erskines !  How  can  we  endure  it  ?  Is  it  possi 
ble  that  we  must  ?  Perhaps  the  woman  would 
rather  live  as  she  is." 

As  if  that  had  anything  to  do  with  the  ques 
tion  of  right  and  wrong  I  The  very  next  instant 
Ruth  juried  her  lip  sneeringly  over  her  own 
folly.  She  never  forgot  that  night,  nor  how  the 
conflict  waged.  She  tried  to  imagine  herself 
saying  "  mother  "  to  one  who  really  had  a  nomi 
nal  right  to  the  title.  Not  that  it  was  an  unfa- 


882         The  Cliautauqua  Ctirh  at  Home. 

miliar  word  to  her.  The  old  aunt  who  hud  oc 
cupied  the  mother's  place  in  the  household  since 
Ruth  was  a  wee  creature  of  two  years,  she  had 
learned  almost  from  the  instincts  of  childhood  to 
call  "  mamma."  And  as  she  grew  older  and  was 
unused  to  any  other  name  for  Mrs.  Wheeler,  the 
widowed  aunt,  she  toned  it  into  the  familiar  and 
comfortable  word  "  mother,"  and  had  always 
spoken  to  and  of  her  in  that  name. 

Yet  she  knew  very  well  how  little  the  title 
meant  to  her.  She  had  loved  this  old  lady  with 
a  sort  of  pitying,  patronizing  love,  realizing  even 
very  early  in  her  life  that  she,  herself,  had  more 
self-reliance,  more  executive  ability,  in  her  1'Xle 
finger,  than  was  spread  all  over  the  placid  lad*- 
who  early  learned  that  "  Ruthie  "  was  to  do  pre 
cisely  as  she  pleased. 

Such  a  cipher  was  this  same  old  lady  in  the 
household,  that  when  a  long  lost  son  appeared 
oil  the  surface,  during  Ruth's  absence  at  Cluiu- 
tauqua,  proving,  sturdy  old  California!!  as  he 
was,  to  have  a  home  and  place  for  his  mother, 
and  a  heart  to  take  her  with  him,  her  departure 
caused  scarcely  a  ripple  in  the  well-ordered 
household  of  trie  Era  Lines. 


The  Strange  Story.  383 

She  had  been  its  nominal  head  for  eighteen 
years,  but  the  real  head  who  was  absent  at  Chau- 
tauqua,  had  three  or  four  perfectly  trained  ser 
vants,  who  knew  their  young  mistress'  will  so 
well,  that  they  could  execute  it  in  her  absence 
as  well  as  when  she  was  present. 

So  when  Ruth  took,  in  the  eyes  of  everybody, 
the  position  that  had  really  been  hers  so  long,  it 
made  no  sort  of  change  in  her  plans  or  ways. 
And  beyond  a  certain  lingering  tenderness  when 
she  spoke  of  her  by  that  familiar  title,  "  mother," 
there  was  no  indication  that  the  woman  who  had 
had  so  constant  and  intimate  connection  with 
her  life  was  remembered. 

But  this  name  applied  to  another,  and  that 
other,  one  whom  she  had  never  seen  in  her  life. 
and  who  yet  was  actuaHy  to  occupy  the  position 
of  head  of  the  household  —  her  father's  wife,  in 
the  eyes  of  society  her  mother,  spoken  of  as 
such,  herself  asked,  "  How  is  your  mother  ?  "  or 
u  What  does  your  mother  think  of  this  ?  "  Would 
any  one  dare  to  use  that  name  to  her  ?  No  one 
had  so  spoken  of  her  aunt.  They  all  knew  she 
was  only  her  aunt,  though  she  chose  to  pet  her 
by  the  use  of  that  tender  name.  Could  she  bear 


384         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

all  these  things  and  a  hundred  others  that  would 
come  up  ? 

"  Marion,"  she  said  the  next  day  as  she  chanced 
to  meet  that  young  lady  on  the  street,  "  I  have 
something  to  tell  you.  I  want  to  call  on  you  to 
witness  that  I  shall  never  again  be  guilty  of  that 
vainglorious  absurdity  of  saying  that  [  am  ready 
for  anything.  One  can  never  know  whether 
this  is  true  or  not ;  at  least  I  am  sure  I  never 
can.  What  I  am  to  say  in  the  future  is  simply, 
*  Lord,  make  me  willing  to  do  what  there  is  for 
me  to  do  this  day.'  Remember  that  in  a  few 
days  you  will  understand  what  I  mean." 

Then  she  went  on.  Marion  pondered  over  it. 
She  did  not  understand  it  at  all.  What  trial 
could  have  come  to  Ruth  that  had  brought  her 
the  knowledge  of  the  weakness  of  her  own 
heart  ?  She  wondered  if  it  had  also  brought  her 
peace. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

LONELINESS. 

SUPPOSE  there  has  never  been  an  earn 
est  worker,  an  enthusiast  on  any  subject, 
in  this  changeful  world,  but  has  been  a  victim 
at  some  time  to  the  dismalness  of  a  reaction. 
The  most  forlorn  little  victim  that  could  be  im 
agined  was  Flossy  Shipley  on  that  evening  after 
the  meetings,  on  which  her  soul  had  fed  so  long, 
were  closed. 

Everything  in  nature  and  in  circumstances 
conspired  to  sink  her  into  her  desolate  mood. 
In  the  first  place  it  was  raining.  Now  a  rain 
closing  in  upon  a  warm  and  dusty  summer  day 
is  a  positive  delight ;  one  can  listen  to  the  pat- 

(385* 


386         The   Chautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

tering  drops  with  a  sense  of  eager  satisfaction 
but  a  rain  in  midwinter,  after  a  day  of  sunlesa 
mist  and  fog,  almost  amounting  to  rain,  when  the 
streets  are  that  mixture  of  snow  and  water  thai 
can  be  known  only  as  "  slush,"  when  every  open 
ing  of  a  door  sends  in  gusts  of  damp  air  that 
chill  to  one's  very  bones,  this  weather  is  a  trial ; 
at  least  it  seemed  such  to  poor  little  Flossy. 

She  shivered  over  the  fire  in  the  coal  grate. 
It  glowed  brightly,  and  the  room  was  warm  and 
bright,  yet  to  Flossy  there  was  a  sense  of  chill  in 
everything.  She  was  all  alone ;  and  the  circum 
stances  connected  with  that  loneliness  were  not 
calculated  to  brighten  the  evening  for  her.  The 
entire  family  had  gone  out  to  a  party,  not  one  of 
those  quiet  little  entertainments  which  people 
had  been  so  careful  to  explain  and  apologize  for 
during  the  meetings,  but  a  grand  display  of  toilet 
and  supper,  and  expenditure  of  all  kinds. 

Mrs.  Westervelt,  the  hostess,  being  at  all  times 
noted  for  the  display  of  her  entertainments,  had 
lavished  more  than  the  usual  amount  of  time  and 
money  on  the  present  ones,  and  waited  for  the 
meetings  to  close  with  the  most  exemplary  pa 
tience,  in  order  that  she  might  gain  a  very  few 


loneliness.  887 

among  her  guests  from  those  who  felt  the  impro 
priety  of  mixing  things  too  much. 

To  be  sure,  the  society  in  general  which  was 
admitted  to  Mrs.  Westervelt's  parlors  was  not 
from  that  class  who  had  any  scruples  as  to  what 
time  they  attended  parties,  but  there  were  two 
or  three  notable  exceptions,  and  those  the  lady 
had  been  anxious  to  claim. 

Prominent  among  them  had  been  the  Erskines, 
it  never  seeming  to  occur  to  Mrs.  Westervelt's 
brains  that  there  could  be  other  excuse  found  for 
not  accepting  her  invitation  save  the  meetings 
that  Ruth  had  taken  to  attending  in  such  a  fran 
tic  manner.  Let  me  say,  in  passing,  that  neither 
Ruth  Erskine  nor  her  father  honored  the  invita 
tion  ;  they  had  other  matters  to  attend  to. 

Meantime,  Flossy  Shipley,  had  utterly  dis 
gusted  her  mother,  and  almost  offended  her  fa 
ther,  by  giving  a  peremptory  and  persistent  refu 
sal.  Such  a  storm  of  talk  as  there  had  been  over 
this  matter  almost  exhausted  the  strength  of 
poor  little  Flossy,  who  did  not  like  argument, 
and  who  yet  could  persist  in  a  most  unaccount 
able  firm  manner  when  occasion  required. 

"  Such  an  absurd  idea  I "  her  sister  Kitty  said, 


388         The  Chautauqua  Qirh  at  Home. 

flashing  contemptuous  eyes  on  her.  "  I  wonder 
what  }-ou  think  is  going  to  become  of  you, 
Flossy  ?  Do  you  mean  to  mope  at  home  all  the 
rest  of  the  winter?  I  assure  you  that  Mrs.  Wes- 
tervelt  is  not  the  only  one  who  intends  to  give 
a  party.  We  are  going  to  have  an  unusually 
gay  season  to  revive  us  after  so  much  bell-toll 
ing.  Don't  you  mean  to  appear  anywhere? 
You  might  as  well  retire  into  a  convent  at  once, 
if  that  is  the  case." 

"  People  will  be  saying  of  me,  as  they  do  of 
Mrs.  Treslam,  soon,  that  I  do  not  allow  you  to 
appear  in  society  while  Kitty  is  still  a  young 
lady."  This  Mrs.  Shipley  said,  and  her  tone,  if 
not  as  sharp  as  Kitty's,  had  a  note  of  grievance 
in  it  that  was  hard  to  bear. 

Then  Charlie  had  taken  up  the  theme : 
"  What  is  the  use  in  turning  mope,  Sis  ?  I'm 
sure  you  can  be  as  good  as  you  like,  and  go  to  a 
party  occasionally." 

"  I  don't  mean  to  mope,  Charlie,"  Flossy  said, 
trying  to  speak  cheerfully,  but  there  were  tears 
in  her  eyes  and  a  tremulous  sound  in  her  voice. 
"  1  am  truly  happier  at  home  than  I  am  at  those 
places ;  I  don't  like  to  go.  It  is  not  entirely  be- 


Loneliness.  889 

cause  I  feel  I  ought  not ;  it  is  because  I  don't 

want  to." 

"  She  has  risen  above  such  follies,"  Kitty  said, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  tell  you  what  a  disagree 
able  inflection  there  was  to  her  voice.  "  Mother. 
I  am  sorry  that  the  poor  child  has  to  associate 
with  such  volatile  creatures  as  you  and  I.  She 
ought  to  have  some  kindred  spirit." 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  where  she  will  find 
any,"  Mrs.  Shipley  said,  with  a  sigh,  "  outside  of 
that  trio  of  girls,  who  among  them  have  con 
trived  to  make  a  perfect  little  slave  of  you.  I 
am  sure  I  don't  know  who  has  any  influence 
over  you.  I  used  to  think  you  regarded  your 
mother's  wishes  a  trifle,  but  I  find  I  am  mis 
taken." 

"  Oh,  mother  I  "  Flossy  said,  and  this  time  the 
tears  began  to  fall,  "  why  will  you  talk  so  ?  I 
am  sure  I  try  to  please  you  in  every  way  that  I 
can.  I  did  not  know  that  you  cared  to  have  me 
go  to  parties,  unless  I  wanted  to  go." 

Either  the  tears  or  something  else  made  her 
Lvother  indignant.  "What  a  scene  about  noth 
ing,"  he  said,  irritably.  "  Why  can't  you  let 
Flossy  go  to  parties  or  not,  as  she  pleases  ?  Par- 


390         The   Chautauqua   Grirls  at  Home. 

ties  are  not  such  delightful  institutions  tluit  she 
need  be  expected  to  be  iu  love  with  them.  I 
should  be  delighted  if  I  never  had  to  appear  at 
another.  Why  not  let  people  have  their  fun  in 
this  world  where  they  choose  to  find  it  ?  If 
Flossy  has  lately  discovered  that  hers  can  only 
be  found  in  prayer-meeting,  I  am  sure  it  is  a 
harmless  enough  diversion  while  the  fit  lasts." 

Mrs.  Shipley  laughed.  Her  son  could  nearly 
always  put  her  into  good  humor.  Besides,  she 
didn't  like  to  see  tears  on  her  baby's  face  ;  that 
was  her  pet  name  for  Flossy. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  that  it  makes  any  serious 
difference,"  she  said  ;  "  not  enough  to  spoil  your 
eyes  over,  Flossy.  I  don't  want  you  to  go  out 
with  us  unless  you  want  to ;  only  it  is  rather 
embarrassing  to  be  constantly  arranging  regrets 
for  you.  Besides,  I  don't  see  what  it  is  all  com 
ing  to.  You  will  be  a  moping,  forsaken  crea 
ture  ;  old  before  your  time,  if  this  continues." 

As  for  Mr.  Shipley,  he  maintained  a  haughty 
silence,  neither  expressing  an  opinion  on  that 
subject  nor  on  any  other, 'which  would  involve 
him  in  a  conversation  with  Flossy.  She  knew 
that  he  was  more  seriously  displeased  with  her 


Loneliness.  391 

than  were  any  of  the  others  ;  not  so  much  about 
the  parties  as  about  other  and  graver  mat 
ters. 

Col.  Baker  was  the  son  of  Mr.  Shipley's  old 
friend.  For  this  reason,  and  for  several  others, 
Mr.  Shipley  was  very  fond  of  him.  It  had  long 
been  in  accordance  with  his  plans,  that  Flossy 
should  become,  at  some  future  time,  Mrs.  Col. 
Baker,  and  that  the  estates  of  the  two  families 
should  be  thus  united. 

While  he  was  not  at  all  the  sort  of  man  who 
would  have  interfered  to  push  such  an  arrange 
ment  against  the  preferences  of  the  parties  con 
cerned,  he  had  looked  on  with  great  and  increas 
ing  satisfaction,  while  the  plans  of  the  young 
people  evidently  tended  strongly  in  that  direc 
tion. 

That  his  daughter,  after  an  absence  from 
home  of  only  two  weeks,  should  have  come  in 
contact  with  that  which  seemed  to  change  all 
her  tastes  and  views  and  plans,  in  regard  to  other 
matters,  but  which  had  actually  caused  her  to 
turn,  with  a  steady  and  increasing  determination, 
away  from  the  friend  who  had  been  her  acknowl 
edged  protector  and  attendant  ever  since  she 


392         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

was  a  child,  was  a  matter  that  he  did  not  under 
stand  nor  approve. 

"  I  am  not  a  tyrant,"  he  would  say  sullenly, 
when  Mrs.  Shipley  and  himself  talked  the  mat 
ter  over ;  when  she,  with  the  characteristics  of  a 
mother,  even  while  her  child  annoyed  and  vexed 
her,  yet  struggled  to  speak  a  word  for  her  when 
a  third  person  came  in  to  blame.  "  I  never  or 
dered  Flossy  to  be  so  exceedingly  intimate  with 
Col.  Baker  that  their  names  have  been  coupled 
together  ever  since  she  was  a  baby.  I  never  in 
sisted  on  her  accepting  his  attentions  on  all  oc 
casions.  It  was  her  own  free  will.  I  own  that 
I  was  pleased  with  the  inclination  she  displayed, 
and  did  what  I  could  to  make  the  way  pleasant 
for  her,  but  the  thing  is  not  of  my  planning. 
What  I  am  displeased  with  is  this  sudden 
change.  There  is  no  reason  for  it  and  no  sense 
in  it.  It  is  just  a  mere  baby  performance,  a  girl 
ish  freak,  very  unpleasant  for  him  and  very  dis 
agreeable  for  us.  The  child  ought  not  to  be  up 
held  in  it." 

So  they  did  their  best  not  to  uphold  her,  and 
succeeded  among  them  in  making  her  life  very 
disagreeable  to  her. 


Loneliness.  393 

The  matter  had  culminated  on  the  evening 
before  the  party  in  question.  Col.  Baker,  de 
spite  the  persistent  and  patient  efforts  on  Flossy's 
part  to  show  him  the  folly  of  his  course,  had  in 
sisted  on  obliging  her  to  speak  a  decided  nega 
tive  to  his  earnestly  pressed  question.  The  re- 
Bulfc  was,  an  unusually  unpleasant  domestic 
scene,  and  a  general  air  of  gloom  and  unhappi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Shipley  had  not  ordered  his  daughter  to 
marry  Col.  Baker.  He  would  have  been  shocked 
beyond  measure  at  such  a  proceeding  on  the  part 
of  a  father.  But  he  made  her  so  unhappy,  with 
a  sense  of  his  disappointment  and  disapproval, 
that  more  than  once  she  sighed  wearily,  and 
wished  in  her  sad  little  heart  that  all  this  living 
was  over. 

Finally,  they  all  went  off  to  Mrs.  Westervelt'a 
party,  and  left  her  alone.  She  had  never  felt  so 
much  alone  in  her  life.  The  blessed  meetings, 
which  had  been  such  a  wealth  of  delight  and 
helpfulness  to  her  heart,  were  closed.  The 
sweet,  and  holy,  and  elevating  influences  that 
had  surrounded  her  outer  life  for  so  long  were 
withdrawn.  She  missed  them  bitterly. 


394         The  Chautauqua  Cf-irls  at  Home. 

It  almost  seemed  to  her  as  if  everything  were 
withdrawn  from  her.  Father,  and  mother,  sis 
ter,  and  even  her  warm-hearted  brother,  were 
all  more  or  less  annoyed  at  her  course.  Charlie 
had  been  betrayed  into  more  positive  sharpness 
than  this  favorite  sister  had  ever  felt  from  him 
before.  He  felt  that  his  friend  Col.  Baker  had 
been  ill-treated. 

There  was  a  very  sore  spot  about  this  matter 
for  Flossy.  The  truth  was,  she  could  not  help 
seeing  that  in  a  sense  her  father  was  right ;  she 
had  brought  it  on  herself;  not  lately,  not  since 
her  utter  change  of  views  and  aims,  but  long  be 
fore  that.  With  what  satisfaction  had  she  al 
lowed  her  name  to  be  coupled  familiarly  with 
that  of  Col.  Baker  ;  how  much  she  had  enjoyed 
his  exclusive  attentions  ;  not  that  she  really  and 
heartily  liked  him,  with  a  liking  that  made  her 
willing  to  think  of  him  as  belonging  to  her  for 
ever;  she  had  chosen,  rather,  not  to  allow  her 
self  to  think  of  any  such  time  ;  she  had  con 
tented  herself  with  saying  that  she  was  too  young 
to  think  of  such  tilings  ;  that  she  was  not  obliged 
to  settle  that  question  till  the  time  came. 

But,  mind  you,  all  the  time  she  chose  to  allow, 
and  enjoy,  and  encourage  by  her  smiles  and  her 


Loneliness.  395 

evident  pleasure  in  them,  very  special  attentions, 
that  gave  other  people  liberty  to  speak  of  them 
almost  as  one.  To  call  it  by  a  very  plain  name, 
which  Flossy  hated,  and  which  made  her  cheek 
glow  as  she  forced  herself  to  say  it  of  herself, 
she  had  been  flirting  with  Col.  Baker.  It  isn't  a 
nice  word ;  I  don't  wonder  that  she  hated  it. 
Yet  so  long  as  young  ladies  continue  to  be  guilty 
of  the  sort  of  conduct  that  can  only  be  described 
by  that  unpleasant  and  coarse  sounding  word,  I 
am  afraid  it  will  be  used. 

All  that  was  over  now,  at  least  it  was  over  as 
much  as  Flossy  could  make  it ;  but  there  re 
mained  an  uncomfortable  sense  that  she  had 
wronged  a  man  who  honestly  loved  her ;  not  in 
tentionally —  no  decent  woman  does  that  —  but 
thoughtlessly  ;  so  many  silly  girls  do  that.  She 
had  lost  her  influence  over  him  now  ;  rather,  she 
had  been  obliged  to  put  herself  in  a  position  to 
lose  all  influence.  She  might  have  been  his  true, 
faithful  friend  now,  and  helped  him  up  to  a 
higher  manhood  only  by  her  former  folly  she  had 
put  it  out  of  her  power.  These  were  not  pleas 
ant  reflections.  Then  there  was  no  denying  that 
she  felt  very  desolate. 

"  A  forlorn  friendless  creature,''  her  mother 


396         The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

had  said  she  would  become,  or  words  to  that  ef 
fect.  The  thought  lingered  with  her.  Sli^ 
looked  over  her  list  of  friends  ;  there  was  always 
those  three  girls,  growing  dearer  by  every  day  of 
association  ;  yet  their  lives  necessarily  ran  much 
upart;  it  would  naturally  grow  more  and  more 
so  as  the  future  came  to  them.  Then,  too,  she 
was  equally  intimate  with  each  of  them ;  they 
were  all  equally  dear  to  her. 

Now  a  woman  can  not  have  three  friends  who 
shall  all  fill  that  one  place  in  her  heart  which  she 
finds.  She  thought  of  her  home  ties  ;  strong  they 
certainly  were;  growing  stronger  every  day. 
There  were  few  things  that  she  did  not  feel  willing 
to  do  for  her  father ;  but  the  one  thing  that  he 
wanted  just  now  was  that  she  should  marry  Col. 
Baker1;  she  could  not  do  that  even  to  please 
him. 

He  would  recover  from  that  state  of  feeling, 
of  course  ;  but  would  not  other  kindred  states  of 
feeling  constantly  arise,  both  with  him  and  with 
her  mother?  Could  she  not  forsee  a  constant 
difference  of  opinion  on  almost  every  imaginable 
topic  ?  Then  there  was  her  sister  Kitty.  Could 
any  two  lives  run  more  widely  apart  than  hers 


Loneliness.  397 

and  Kitty's  were  likely  to  ?  Had  they  a  single 
taste  in  common? 

As  for  Charlie,  Flossy  turned  from  that  sub 
ject  ;  it  was  too  sore  and  too  tender  a  spot  to  be 
probed.  She  trembled  for  Charlie  ;  he  was  walk 
ing  in  slippery  places  ;  the  descent  was  growing 
easier ;  she  felt  that  rather  than  saw  it ;  and,  she 
felt,  too,  that  his  friend  Col.  Baker  was  the 
leader ;  and  she  felt,  too,  that  her  intimacy  with 
Col.  Baker  had  greatly  strengthened  his. 

No  wonder  that  the  spot  was  a  sore  one. 
Grouping  all  these  things  together  and  brooding 
over  them,  with  no  sound  breaking  the  silence 
save  the  ceaseless  drip,  drip  of  the  rain,  and 
the  whirls  of  defiant  wind,  sitting  there  in  her 
loneliness,  the  large  arm-chair  in  which  she 
crouched  being  drawn  up  before  that  glowing 
fire,  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  firelight  revealed 
the  fact  that  great  silent  tears  were  slowly  fol 
lowing  each  other  down  Flossy's  round  smooth 
cheek  ?  She  felt  like  a  pitiful,  lonely,  forsaken 
baby. 

It  was  not  that  she  was  utterly  miserable  ; 
she  recognized  even  then  the  thought  that  she 
had  an  almighty,  everlasting,  unchanging  Friend, 


898         The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

She  re-juiced  even  then  at  the  thought,  not  as 
she  might  have  rejoiced,  not  as  it  was  her  privi 
lege  to  do,  but  I  mean  she  knew  that  all  these 
trials,  and  mistakes,  and  burdens,  were  but  for  a 
moment.  She  knew  that  to-morrow,  when  the 
sun  shone  again,  she  would  be  able  to  come  out 
from  behind  these  clouds  and  grasp  some  of  the 
brightness  of  her  life,  and  endure  with  patience 
the  little  annoyances  that  were  to  be  borne ;  re 
membering  that  she  was  still  very  young,  and 
that  there  was  a  chance  for  a  great  deal  of  bright 
ness  for  her,  even  on  this  side. 

But,  in  the  meantime,  her  intensely  human 
heart  craved  human  companionship  and  sympa 
thy  ;  craved  it  to  such  a  degree,  that  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  rain  and  the  darkness,  and  the 
growing  lateness  of  the  hour,  she  would  have 
gone  out  then  after  one  of  those  three  girls  to 
share  her  mood  with  her. 

Into  the  midst  of  this  state  of  dismal  journey 
ing  into  the  valley  of  gloom  there  pealed  the 
Mtund  of  the  bell.  It  did  not  startle  her  ;  the 
callers  in  their  circle  would  be  sure  to  be  engaged 
at  ihf,  party,  and  to  suppose  that  she  was.  Be 
sides,  it  was  hardly  an  evening  for  ordinary  call- 


Loneliness.  399 

era —  something  as  important  as  a  party  was, 
would  be  expected  to  call  out  people  to-uiglit. 
It  was  some  one  with  a  business  message  for  fa 
ther,  she  presumed ;  and  she  did  not  arouse  from 
her  curled-up  position  among  the  cushions  of 
that  great  chair. 

Half  listening,  half  giving  attention  to  her  own 
thoughts,  she  was  conscious  that  a  servant  came 
to  answer  the  bell,  that  the  front  door  opened 
and  shut,  that  there  was  a  question  asked  and 
answered  in  the  hall.  Then  she  gave  over  at 
tending  to  the  matter.  If  she  were  needed  the 
girl  knew  she  was  in  the  library.  Yes,  she  was 
to  be  summoned  for  something,  to  receive  the 
message  probably,  for  the  library  door  quietly 
unclosed. 

"  What  is  it,  Katie  ?  "  she  asked,  in  a  sort  of 
muffled  undertone,  to  hide  the  traces  of  disturb 
ance  in  her  voice,  and  not  turning  her  head  in 
that  direction ;  she  knew  there  were  tears  on  her 
cheeks. 

"  Suppose  it  should  not  be  Katie,  may  any  one 
else  come  in  and  tell  you  what  it  is  ?  "  This 
was  the  sentence  wherewith  she  was  answered. 
What  a  sudden  springing  up  there  was  from  that 


400         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Some. 

chair !  Even  the  tears  were  forgotten ;  and 
what  a  singular  ring  there  was  to  Flossy's  voice 
as  she  whirled  round  to  full  view  of  the  intruder, 
and  said,  "  Oh,  Mr.  Roberts  !  " 

Now,  dear  friends  of  this  little  lonely  Flossy, 
are  you  so  stupid  that  you  need  to  be  told  that 
in  less  than  half  an  hour  from  that  moment  she 
believed  that  there  could  never  again  come  to  her 
an  absolutely  lonely  hour?  That  whatever 
might  come  between  them,  whether  of  life  or  01 
death,  there  would  be  that  for  each  to  remember 
that  would  make  it  impossible  ever  to  be  deso- 
olate  again.  For  there  is  no  desolation  of  heart 
to  those  who  part  at  night  to  meet  again  in  the 
morning ;  there  may  be  loneliness  and  a  reaching 
out  after,  and  sometimes  an  unutterable  longing 
for  the  morning,  but  to  those  who  are  sure,  sure 
beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt,  that  the  eter 
nal  morning  will  dawn,  and  dawn  for  th«ra,  there 
is  never  again  a  desolation. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


THE    ADDED     NAME. 

HAT  same  evening  was  fraught  with 
memorable  associations  to  others  beside 
Flossy  Shipley.  It  began  in  gloom  and  unusual 
depression  even  to  bright-faced  Marion.  The 
day  had  been  a  hard  one  in  school.  Those  of  the 
scholars  who  had  been  constant  attendants  at  the 
meetings  felt  the  inevitable  sense  of.  loneliness 
and  loss  that  must  follow  the  close  of  such  un 
usual  means  of  help. 

I  have  actually  heard  some  Christian  people 
advance  this  fact,  that  there  was  a  reaction  of  lone 
liness  after  such  meetings  closed,  as  a  good  reason 
why  they  were  unwise  efforts,  demoralizing  in 
their  results.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  such  rea- 

(401) 


402         The   Chautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

Boners  are  never  found  to  advocate  the  entire 
separation  of  family  friends  on  the  plea  that  a 
reunion  followed  by  a  separation  is  demoralizing 
in  its  results  because  it  leaves  an  added  sense  of 
loneliness. 

It  is,  perhaps,  to  be  questioned  whether  loneli 
ness  is,  after  all,  demoralizing  in  its  effects.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  many  of  the  scholars  felt  it. 
Then  there  were  some  among  their  number  who 
had  persistently  shunned  the  meetings  and  their 
influences,  who,  now  that  the  opportunity  was 
passed,  felt  those  stings  of  conscience  that  are 
sure  to  follow  enlightened  minds,  who  have  per 
sisted  in  going  a  wrong  road. 

Also  there  were  those  who  had  been  almost 
persuaded,  and  who  yet,  so  far  as  their  salvation 
was  concerned,  were  no  nearer  it  that  day  than 
though  they  had  never  thought  of  the  matter,  for 
almost  never  saves  a  soul.  All  these  influences 
combined  served  to  make  depression  the  pre 
dominant  feeling.  Marion  struggled  with  it,  and 
tried  to  be  cheerful  before  her  pupils,  but  sank 
into  gravity  and  unusual  sadness  at  every  inter 
val  between  the  busy  hours  of  the  day. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  she  had  a  conversation 


The  Added  Name.  403 

with  one  of  the  girls  which  did  not  serve  to  en 
courage  her  heart.  It  was  the  drawing  hour. 
Large  numbers  of  the  young  ladies  in  her  room 
had  gone  to  the  studio  with  the  drawing  master  ; 
those  few  who  remained  were  engaged  in  copy 
ing  their  exercises  for  the  next  morning's  class. 
Marion  was  at  leisure,  her  only  duty  being  to 
render  assistance  in  the  matter  of  copying 
wherever  a  raised  hand  indicated  that  help  was 
needed. 

Answering  one  of  these  calls  she  found  herself 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  large  room,  quite  near 
to  Grace  Dennis'  desk,  and  in  passing  she  noticed 
that  Gracie,  while  her  book  was  before  her  and 
her  pen  in  hand,  was  not  writing  at  all,  but  that 
her  left  hand  was  shading  a  face  that  looked  sad 
and  pale,  and  covering  eyes  that  might  have  tears 
in  them.  After  fulfilling  her  duty  to  the  needy 
scholar  she  turned  back  to  Grace. 

"What  is  it?"  she  said,  softly,  taking  the 
vacant  seat  by  Grace's  side,  and  touching  ten 
derly  the  crown  of  hair  that  covered  the  droop 
ing  head.  Grace  looked  up  quickly  with  a 
gleam  of  sunshine,  through  which  shone  a  tear. 

"  It  is  a  fit  of  the  blues,  t  am  almost  afraid.     I 


404         The   Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

am  very  much  ashamed  of  m}rself ;  I  don't  feel 
so  very  often,  Miss  Wilbur.  I  think  the  feeling 
must  be  what  the  girls  call  blues ;  I  am  not 
sure." 

"Do  you  feel  in  any  degree  sure  what  has 
caused  such  a  remarkable  disease  to  attack  you  ?  " 
Marion  asked,  in  a  low,  tender,  yet  cheery  and  a 
half-amused  tone. 

The  words  made  Gracie  laugh,  but  the  tender 
ness  in  the  tone  seemed  to  start  another  tear. 

"  You  will  be  amused  at  me,  Miss  Wilbur,  or 
ashamed  of  me,  I  don't  know  which.  I  am 
ashamed  of  myself,  but  I  do  feel  so  forlorn  and 
lonely." 

"  Lonely  1  "  Marion  echoed,  with  a  little  start. 
She  realized  that  she  herself  knew  in  its  fulness 
what  that  feeling  was,  but  for  Gracie  Dennis, 
treasured  as  she  was  in  an  atmosphere  of  fatherly 
love,  it  was  hard  to  understand  it.  "  If  I  had 
my  dear  father  I  don't  think  I  should  feel 
lonely,"  she  said  gently. 

"  I  know,"  Grace  answered ;  "  he  is  the 
dearest  father  a  girl  ever  had,  but  there  is  only 
a  little  bit  of  him  mine,  Miss  Wilbur.  I  don't 
mean  that  either ;  I  am  not  selfish.  I  kuow  he 


The  Added  Name.  405 

loves  me  with  all  his  heart,  but  I  mean  his  time 
is  so  very  much  occupied  that  he  can  only  give 
me  very  little  bits  now  and  then.  It  has  to  be 
so ;  it  is  not  his  fault.  I  would  not  have  him 
an}*  different,  even  in  this ;  but  then  if  I  had  a 
sister,  don't  you  see  how  different  it  would  be  ? 
or  even  a  brother,  or,"  and  here  Gracie's  head 
dropped  low,  and  her  voice  quivered.  "  Miss 
Wilbur,  if  I  had  a  mother,  one  who  loved  me, 
and  would  sympathize  with  me  and  help  me,  I 
think  I  would  be  the  happiest  girl  in  all  the 
world." 

There  was  every  appearance  that,  with  a  few 
more  words  of  tender  sympathy,  this  young  girl 
would  lose  all  her  self-control  and  be  that  which 
she  so  much  shrank  from,  an  object  of  general 
wonderment  and  conversation.  Marion  felt  that 
she  must  bestow  her  sympathy  sparingly. 

"  I  dare  say  you  would  give  yourself  over  to  a 
hearty  struggle  not  to  hate  her  outright,"  she  said, 
in  a  quiet,  matter-of-fact  tone.  The  sobs  which 
were  shaking  the  young  girl  beside  her  were  sud 
denly  checked,  Presently  Gracie  looked  up,  a 
gleam  half  of  mirth,  half  of  defiance  in  her  hand 
some  eyes.  "  I  mean  a  real  mother,"  she  said. 


406         The  Chautauqua  G-irU  at  Home. 

"  Haven't  you  one  ?  Doesn't  she  love  her  dar 
ling  and  watch  over  and  wait  for  her  coming  ?  " 
The  voice  had  taken  on  its  tenderness  again. 
Then,  after  a  moment,  Marion  added : 

"  It  is  hard  to  realize,  I  know, but  I  believe  it, 
and  I  look  toward  that  thought  with  all  my  soul. 
You  remember,  Gracie,  that  I  have  nothing  but 
that  to  feed  on,  no  earthly  friend  to  help  me  real 
ize  it." 

Grace  stole  a  soft  hand  into  her  teacher's.  "  I 
wish  you  would  love  me  very  much,"  she  said, 
brightly.  "  I  wish  you  would  let  me  love  you. 
Do  you  know  you  help  me  every  time  you  speak 
to  me  ?  and  you  do  it  in  such  strange  ways,  not 
at  all  in  the  direction  that  I  am  looking  for  help. 
I  do  thank  you  so  much." 

"  Then  suppose  you  prove  it  to  me,  by  show 
ing  what  an  immaculate  copy  of  your  exercise 
you  can  hand  in  to-morrow.  Don't  you  know  it 
•a  by  just  such  common-place  matters  as  that, 
;hat  people  are  permitted  to  show  their  love  and 
rratitude  and  all  those  delightful  things  ?  That 
is  what  glorifies  work." 

Another  clinging  pressure  of  hands  and  teacher 
and  pupil  went  about  their  duties.  But  though 


The  Added  Name.  407 

Marion  had  helped  Gracie  she  had  not  helped 
herself,  except  that  in  a  tired  sort  of  way  she 
realized  that  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to 
help  anybody  —  most  of  all,  this  favorite  pupil. 
Still  the  dreariness  did  not  lessen.  It  went  home 
with  her  to  her  dingy  boarding-house,  followed 
her  to  the  gloomy  dining-room  and  the  uninviting 
supper-table. 

The  most  that  was  the  trouble  with  Marion 
Wilbur  was,  that  she  was  tired  in  body  and 
brain.  If  people  only  realized  it,  a  great  many 
mental  troubles  and  trials  result  from  overworked 
bodies  and  nerves.  Still,  it  must  be  confessed 
that  there  were  few,  if  any,  outside  influences 
that  were  calculated  to  cheer  Marion  Wilbur's 
life. 

You  are  to  remember  how  very  much  alone 
she  was.  There  were  no  letters  to  be  watched 
for  in  the  daily  mails,  no  hopeful  looking  forward 
if  one  failed  to  come,  no  cheery  saying  to  one's 
heart,  "  Never  mind,  it  will  surely  come  to-mor 
row."  This  state  is  infinitely  better  than  the 
hopeless  glance  one  bestows  upon  the  postman, 
realizing  he  is  nothing  to  them. 

No  friends  —  father  and  mother  gone  so  long 


408         The  Chautaugua  Girls  at  Home. 

ago  1  That  of  one  there  was  no  recollection  at 
all,  of  the  other,  tender  childhood  memories, 
sweet  and  lasting  and  incomparably  precious,  but 
only  memories.  No  sister,  no  brother,  no  cous 
ins  that  had  taken  the  place  to  her  of  sisters ; 
only  that  old  uncle  and  aunt,  who  were  such 
staid  and  common  and  plodding  people,  that 
sometimes  the  very  thought  of  them  tired  this 
girl  so  full  of  life  and  energy. 

Girl  I  call  her,  but  she  had  passed  the  days  of 
her  girlhood.  Few  knew  it ;  it  was  wonderful 
how  young  and  fresh  her  heart  had  kept.  That 
being  the  case,  of  course  her  face  had  taken  the 
same  impress.  It  was  hard  for  Ruth  Erskine  to 
realize  that  her  friend  Marion  was  really  thirteen 
years  older  than  herself.  There  were  times  when 
Marion  herself  felt  younger  than  Ruth  did. 

But  the  years  were  there,  and  in  her  times  of 
depression,  Marion  realized  it.  So  many  of  them 
recorded,  and  yet  no  friends  to  whom  she  had  a 
right,  feeling  sure  that  nothing  in  human  experi 
ence  this  side  of  death  would  be  likely  to  come 
in  and  take  her  away  from  them.  The  very  sup 
per-table  at  that  boarding-house  was  sufficient  to 
add  to  her  sense  of  desolation. 


The  Added  Name.  409 

It  is  a  pitiful  fact  that  we  are  such  dependent 
creatures  that  even  the  crooked  laying  of  a  cloth, 
and  the  coffee-stains  and  milk-stains  and  gravy- 
stains  thereon,  can  add  to  our  sense  of  friendless- 
ness.  Then,  what  is  there  particularly  consoling 
or  cheering  in  a  cup  of  weak  tea  and  a  bit  of 
bread  a  trifle  sour,  spread  over  by  butter  more 
than  a  trifle  strong ;  even  though  it  is  helped 
down  by  some  very  dry  bits  of  chipped  beef? 
This  was  Marion's  supper. 

The  boarders  were,  some  of  them,  cross,  some 
of  them  simply  silent  and  hurried,  all  of  them 
damp,  for  they  were  every  one  workers  out  in 
the  damp,  dreary  world ;  the  most  of  them,  in 
fact,  I  may  say  all  of  them,  were  very  tired  ;  yet 
many  of  them  had  work  to  do  that  very  evening. 
Marion  ate  her  supper  in  silence,  too  ;  at  least 
she  bit  at  her  bread  and  tried  to  swallow  her 
simpering  tea. 

When  her  heart  was  bright  and  her  plans  for 
the  evening  definite  and  satisfactory,  she  could 
manage  the  sour  bread  and  strong  butter  even, 
with  something  like  a  relish,  but  there  was  no 
use  in  trying  them  to-night.  She  even  tor 
mented  herself  with  the  planning  of  a  dainty 


410         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

supper,  accompanied  by  exquisite  table  arrange 
ments  such  as  she  would  manage  for  a  sister,  say, 
if  she  had  one  —  a  sister  who  had  been  in  school 
all  day  and  was  wet  and  hungry  and  tired,  if 
she  had  the  room,  and  the  table,  and  the  china, 
and  the  materials  out  of  which  to  construct  the 
supper.  She  was  reasonable  enough  to  see  that 
there  were  many  ifs  in  the  way,  but  the  picture 
did  not  make  the  present  supper  relish. 

She  struggled  to  rally  her  weary  powers.  She 
asked  the  clerk  next  her  if  it  had  been  a  busy 
day,  and  she  told  the  sewing-girl  at  her  left 
about  a  lovely  bouquet  of  flowers  that  one  of  the 
girls  brought  to  school,  and  that  she  had  meant 
to  bring  home  to  her,  if  it  was  presented.  To 
be  sure  it  was  not.  But  the  intention  was  the 
same,  and  the  heart  of  the  sewing-girl  \vas 
cheered. 

Finally  Marion  gave  over  trying  to  swallow 
the  supper,  and  assuring  herself  with  the  deter 
mination  to  go  early  to  bed,  and  so  escape  faint- 
ness,  she  went  up  three  flights  of  stairs  to  her 
room. 

**  When  I  am  rich  and  a  woman  of  leisure,  1 
will  build  a  house  that  shall  have  pleasant  rooms 
and  good  bread  and  butter,  and  i  will  boaid 


The  Added  Name.  411 

Bchool-teachers  and  sewing-girls  and  clerks  for  a 
gong."  This  she  said  aloud. 

Then  she  set  about  making  a  bit  of  blaze,  or  a 
great  deal  of  smoke  in  the  little  imp  of  a  stove. 
The  stove  was  small  and  cracked  and  rusty,  and 
could  smoke  like  a  furnace.  What  a  contrast  to 
the  glowing  coal-grate  where  Flossy  at  this  hour 
toasted  her  pretty  cheeks.  Yet  Marion,  in  her 
way,  was  less  dismal  than  Flossy  in  hers. 

It  was  not  in  Marion's  nature  to  shed  any 
tears ;  instead,  she  hummed  a  few  notes  of  a  glo 
rious  old  tune  triumphant  in  every  note,  trying 
this  to  rob  herself  of  gloom  and  cheat  herself 
into  the  belief  that  she  was  not  very  lonely,  and 
that  her  life  did  not  stretch  out  before  her  as  a 
desolate  thing.  She  did  not  mean  to  give  her 
self  up  to  glooming,  though  she  did  hover  over 
the  little  stove  and  lean  her  cheek  on  her  hand 
and  look  at  nothing  in  particular  for  a  few  min 
utes.  What  she  said  when  she  rallied  from  the 
silence  was  simply : 

"  What  an  abominable  smoke  you  can  make 
to  be  sure,  Marion  Wilbur,  when  you  try. 
Hardly  any  one  can  compete  with  you  in  that 
line,  at  least." 

Then  she  drew  her  school  reports  toward  her, 


412         The  Chautauqua  Crisis  at  Home. 

intending  to  make  them  out  for  the  week  thus 
far,  but  she  scribbled  on  the  fly -leaf  with  her 
pencil  instead.  She  wrote  her  own  name,  "  Mar 
ion  J.  Wilbur,"  a  pretty  enough  name.  She 
smiled  tenderly  over  "the  initial  of  "J"  —  no 
body  knew  what  that  was  for. 

Suppose  the  girls  knew  that  it  stood  for  "  Jo- 
siah,"her  father's  name  ;  that  he  had  named  her, 
after  the  mother  was  buried,  Marion  — that  after 
the  mother,  Josiah  —  that  after  the  father,  Wil 
bur  —  the  dear  name  that  belonged  to  them 
both ;  in  this  way  fancying  in  his  gentle  heart 
that  he  linked  this  child  to  them  both  in  a  way 
that  would  be  dear  to  her  to  remember. 

It  was  dear ;  she  loved  him  for  it ;  she  thor 
oughly  understood  the  feeling,  but  hardly  any 
one  else  would.  So  she  thought  she  had  never 
given  them  a  chance  to  smile  over  the  queer 
name  her  father  had  given.  She  could  smile 
herself,  but  she  wanted  no  one  else  to  do  so. 

Then  she  wrote  "  Grace  L.  Dennis."  What  a 
pretty  name  that  was.  She  knew  what  the  "L" 
was  for  —  Lawrence,  the  family  name  —  Grace's 
mother's  name.  Her  mother,  too,  had  died  when 
she  was  a  wee  baby.  Gracie  remembered  her, 


Tlie  Added  Name.  413 

though,  and  by  that  memory  so  much  more  div" 
she  miss  her. 

Marion  knew  ho\v  that  was  by  her  remem 
brance  of  her  father.  All  the  same  she  would 
not  have  that  blotted  out,  by  so  much  richer  was 
Gracie  than  herself,  and  then  that  living,  loving 
father.  Marion  Smiled  over  the  folly  of  Grace 
Dennis  considering  her  life  a  lonely  one.  "  Yet, 
I  presume  she  feels  it,  poor  darling,"  she  said 
aloud,  and  with  a  sigh.  It  was  true  that  every 
heart  knew  its  own  bitterness. 

Then  she  said,  "  I  really  must  go  to  work  at 
these  reports.  I  wonder  what  the  girls  are  doing 
this  evening  ?  Eurie  is  nursing  her  mother,  I 
suppose.  Blessed  Eurie  I  mother  and  father 
both  within  the  fold,  brought  there  by  Eurie's 
faithful  life.  Mrs.  Mitchell  told  me  so,  herself. 
What  a  sparkle  that  will  make  in  Eurie's  crown. 
I  wonder  what  Ruth  meant  this  morning  ?  Poor 
child  1  she  has  trouble  too  ;  different  from  mine. 
Why  as  to  that,  I  really  haven't  any.  Ruth 
ought  to  '  count  her  marcies,'  though,  as  old  Di 
nah  says.  She  has  a  great  deal  that  I  haven't, 
Yes,  indeed,  she  has  I  I  suppose  little  Flossy  is 
going  through  tribulation  over  that  tiresome 


414          The   Cliautauqua  Girh  at   Hotnc. 

party.  I  wonder  why  one-half  of  the  world  have 
to  exist  by  tormenting  the  other  half?  Now, 
Marion  Wilbur,  stop  scribbling  names  and  go  to 
work." 

Steady  scratching  from  the  old  steel  pen  a  few 
minutes,  then  a  knock  and  a  message :  "  Dr. 
Dennis  wanted  to  see  her  a  few  minutes,  if  she 
had  leisure." 

"  Dr.  Dennis !  "  she  said,  rising  quickly  and 
pushing  away  her  papers.  "  Oh,  dear  me  !  where 
is  that  class-book  of  mine?  He  wants  those 
names,  I  dare  say,  and  I  haven't  them  read}'.  I 
might  have  been  copying  them  while  I  was  moon 
ing  my  time  away  here." 

The  first  words  she  said  to  him  as  she  went 
down  to  the  stuffy  boarding-house  parlor  were, 
**  I  haven't  them  ready,  Dr.  Dennis  ;  I'm  real 
sorry,  and  it's  my  fault,  too.  I  had  time  to  copy 
them,  and  I  just  didn't  do  it." 

"  I  haven't  come  for  them,"  he  said  smiling  and 
holding  out  his  hand  I  "  How  do  you  do  ?  " 

"  Oh,  quite  well.  Didn't  you  come  for  them  ? 
I  am  glad,  for  I  felt  ashamed.  Dr.  Dennis,  don't 
you  see  how  well  one  woman  can  do  the  work  of 
twenty  ?  Don't  you  like  the  way  the  primary 


Tlie  Added  Name.  415 

class  is  managed  ?  Oh,  by  the  way,  you  want 
that  book,  don't  you  ?  I  meant  to  send  it  home 
by  Gracie." 

"  I  don't  want  it,"  he  said,  laughing  this  time. 
"  Are  you  resolved  that  I  may  not  call  on  you 
without  a  good  and  tangible  reason  ?  If  that  be 
the  case,  I  certainly  have  one.  I  want  you  to  sit 
down  here,  while  I  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  I'm  not  in  the  mood  for  a  scolding,"  she  said, 
trying  to  speak  gayljT,  though  there  was  a  curious 
little  tremble  to  her  voice.  "  I  have  been  away 
down  in  the  valley  of  gloom  to-day.  I  believe  I 
am  a  little  demoralized.  Dr.  Dennis,  I  think  I 
need  a  prayer-meeting  every  evening ;  I  could 
be  happier  then,  I  know." 

"  A  Christian  ought  to  be  able  to  have  one," 
he  said,  quickly.  "  Two  souls  ought  to  be  able 
to  come  together  in  communion  with  the  Master 
every  evening.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  wasted 
happiness  in  this  world.  I  want  to  talk  to  you 
about  that  very  thing." 

Dr.  Dennis  was  not  given  to  making  long  calls 
on  his  parishoners;  there  were  too  many  of 
them,  and  he  had  too  little  time ;  but  he  made 
an  unprecedentedly  long  one  on  Marion  Wilbur; 


416         Tlie   Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

When  she  went  back  to  her  room  that  night, 
the  fire  was  gone  out  utterly  ;  not  even  a  smoke 
remained.  She  lighted  her  smoky  little  lamp  — 
there  was  no  gas  in  the  third  story  —  and  looked 
at  her  watch  with  an  amazed  air ;  she  had  not 
imagined  that  it  could  be  nearly  11  o'clock  I 
Then  she  pushed  the  reports  into  a  drawer  and 
turned  the  key  ;  no  use  to  attempt  reports  for 
that  evening.  As  she  picked  up  her  class-book, 
the  scribbling  on  the  fly-leaf  caught  her  eye  again. 
She  smiled  a  rare,  rich,  happy  smile  ;  then  swiftly 
she  drew  her  pencil  and  added  one  more  name 
to  the  line.  "Marion  Wilbur  —  Marion  J.  Wil 
bur,"  it  read.  There  was  just  room  on  the  line 
for  another  word  ;  then  it  read  —  "  Marion  J. 
Wilbur  Dennis  I  "  To  be  sure,  she  took  her  rub 
ber  quickly  from  h°r  pocket  and  obliterated  every 
trace  of  that  last.  But  what  of  it  ?  There  are 
words  and  deeds  that  can  not  so  easily  be  oblit 
erated  ;  and  Marion,  as  she  laid  her  grateful 
head  on  her  fluffy  little  pillow  that  night,  was 
thankful  it  was  so,  and  felt  no  desire  to  erase 
them. 

Desolate  ?  Not  she  ;  God  was  very  gracious. 
The  brightness  that  she  felt  sure  she  could  throw 


TJie  Added  Name.  41T 

around  some  lives,  she  knew  would  have  a  reflex 
brightness  for  her.  Then,  queerly  enough,  the 
very  next  thing  she  thought  of,  was  that  dainty 
supper  she  planned  for  herself,  that  she  could 
have  prepared  for  a  school-teacher,  wet,  hungry 
and  tired.  Why  not  for  a  school-girl  ?  If  she 
had  no  sister  to  do  it  for,  why  not  for  a  daughter  ? 
"  Dear  little  Gracie  I "  she  said.  Then  she  went 
to  sleep. 

"  Meantime,  during  that  eventful  evening  Ruth 
sat  in  her  room,  alone,  busy  with  grave  and 
solemn  thoughts.  Her  father  was  already  many 
miles  away.  He  had  gone  to  see  his  wife  and 
daughter.  Eurie  at  that  same  hour  was  bend 
ing  anxiously  over  a  sick  mother,  trying  to  catch 
the  feebly-whispered  direction,  with  such  a 
heavy,  heavy  pain  at  her  heart.  But  the  same 
patient,  wise,  all-powerful  Father  was  watching 
over  and  directing  the  ways  of  each  of  his  four 
girls. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

LEARNERS. 

.LTHOUGH  the  sense  of  desolation  wag 
gone  from  Flossy  Shipley,  she  was  not 
without  something  to  be  troubled  over.  As  to 
that,  when  one  sets  out  to  be  troubled,  one  can 
nearly  always  find  an  excuse. 

Flossy  lay  awake  over  hers  for  hours  that 
night.  Mr.  Roberts  was  given  to  keeping  more 
proper  hours  than  those  in  which  party  goers  in 
dulge.  So  it  happened  that  the  library  was  va 
cant  when  the  family  returned,  the  gas  turned 
low,  and  the  grate  carefully  supplied  with  coal  to 
give  them  a  warm  greeting.  But  the  easy  chairs 
before  the  bright  fire  told  no  tales  of  all  the  pleas 
ant  and  helpful  words  that  had  been  spoken  there 
that  evening. 
(418) 


Learners.  419 

So  far  as  the  family  knew,  Flossy  had  spent 
her  evening  in  solitude.  But  they  would  come  to 
know  it ;  would  have  to  be  introduced  to  Mr. 
Roberts ;  there  would  have  to  be  a  prompt  ex- 
planation  of  their  interest  in  each  other.  Flossy 
meant  to  have  no  delays,  nor  chances  for  mis 
takes,  this  time. 

The  momentous  question  was,  how  would  her 
father  receive  the  message,  what  word  would  he 
have  for  the  stranger?  She  could  almost  have 
wished  that  his  coming  had  been  delayed  for  a 
few  weeks-  more,  until  the  sore  sullen  feeling 
over  disappointed  plans  had  had  time  to  quiet. 
But  as  it  was,  since  Mr.  Roberts  was  to  be  in  the 
city  and  she  was  to  see  him,  she  wojild  have  no 
pretense  of  his  being  merely  a  chance  acquaint 
ance  of  her  Chautauqua  life,  making  friendly 
calls  ;  at  least  her  father  should  know  that  they 
both  meant  more  than  that.  Whether  he  would 
ignore  the  claims  they  made,  and  choose  to  treat 
Mr.  Roberts  as  a  stranger,  Flossy  did  not  know ; 
it  seemed  more  than  likely  that  he  would. 

As  to  that,  she  could  not  help  owning  to  her 
self  that  he  would  have  very  plausible  reasona 
for  so  doing.  What  was  she  supposed  to  know 


420         The   Chautauqua  Grirh  at  Home. 

about  Mr.  Evan  Roberts?  Closely  questioned, 
she  would  have  to  admit  that  she  had  never 
heard  of  his  existence  till  those  golden  Chautau 
qua  days  ;  that  although  she  walked  and  talked 
much  with  him  during  those  two  weeks,  there 
had  been  so  much  to  talk  about,  such  vital  inter 
ests  that  pressed  upon  them,  so  many  things  for 
her  to  learn,  that  they  had  spent  no  time  at  all 
in  talking  about  each  other's  past. 

She  remembered  now,  that  strangely  enough 
she  had  no  idea  even  at  this  moment  what  his 
business  was,  except  that  from  some  casual  re 
mark  she  judged  that  he  was  familiar  with  mer 
cantile  life ;  he  might  have  some  money  or  he 
might  be  very  poor,  she  had  not  the  least  idea 
which  it  was ;  he  might  be  of  an  old  and  hon 
ored  family,  or  his  father  might  have  been  a 
blacksmith,  and  his  mother  even  now  a  washer 
woman.  She  admitted  to  herself  that  she  knew 
nothing  at  all  about  it ;  and  she  was  obliged  also 
to  admit  that  so  far  as  she  herself  was  concerned 
she  did  not  care. 

But  Mr.  Shipley  was  very  different.  Most  as 
suredly  he  would  care.  How  could  he  under 
stand  why  she  should  be  able  to  feel  such  perfect 


Learners.  421 

trust  in  this  stranger  ?  If  she  should  try  to  tell 
him  of  those  wonderful  prayers  she  had  heard 
from  Mr.  Robert's  lips,  what  would  such  evidence 
be  to  him  ?  If  she  should  try  to  tell  him  how 
by  this  man,  she  had  been  led  into  the  light  of 
love  and  trust  that  glowed  brighter  and  stronger 
with  every  day,  how  little  information  it  would 
give  him  1  What  an  utter  mystery  would  such 
language  be  to  him  I 

As  she  thought  of  all  these  puzzling  things, 
what  wonder  that  she  turned  her  pillow  many 
times  in  search  of  a  spot  to  rest,  and  gave  a  great 
many  long-drawn  sighs  ? 

It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Roberts,  while  he  had 
not  troubled  himself  to  enlighten  Flossy  as  to 
his  position,  and  prospects,  had  by  no  means  sup 
posed  that  her  father  would  be  as  indifferent  to 
these  small  matters  as  she  was ;  he  had  come 
armed  with  credentials,  and  introductions.  Over 
whelming  ones  they  were  to  Mr.  Shipley.  He 
waited  for  no  introductions  nor  explanations  to 
come  from  Flossy. 

Instead,  the  very  next  morning,  at  the  earliest 
hour  that  business  etiquette  would  allow,  he 
sought  Mr.  Shipley  at  his  business  office,  pre- 


422         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

sented  his  card  and  letters,  and  made  known  his 
desire  to  transact  mercantile  business  with  him 
in  the  name  of  his  firm.  And  the  rich  man,  Mr. 
Shipley,  arose  and  bowed  before  him. 

Was  he  not  a  representative  ?  nay,  a  junior  part 
ner  of  the  firm  of  Bostwick,  S  my  the,  Roberts  & 
Co.?  Names  world-renowned  among  mercantile 
men.  Could  human  ambition  reach  higher  than  to 
have  flattering  offers  of  business  from  that  great 
House  ?  than  to  be  actually  sought  out  by  this 
young  partner,  singled  from  among  all  the  mer 
chant  princes  of  the  city,  as  the  one  to  be  taken 
into  business  confidence  I 

Mr.  Shipley's  ambitious  dreams  reached  no 
more  dizzy  height  than  this. 

Mr.  Roberts  was  invited,  urged  to  accept  the 
hospitalities  of  his  home,  to  make  the  acquaint 
ance  of  his  family,  to  command  his  horses,  his 
carriage,  his  servants,  in  short,  to  become  one  of 
their  family  so  long  as  he  could  be  prevailed 
upon  to  remain  in  the  city. 

But  Mr.  Roberts  had  more  communications  to 
make  ;  he  frankly  announced  that  he  was  already 
acquainted  with  his  family,  at  least  with  that 
portion  of  it,  which  was  of  enough  importance 


Learners.  423 

to  include  all  the  rest ;  of  course,  he  did  not  say 
this  to  the  father,  and  yet  his  manner  implied  it, 
as  he  meant  it  should.  Mr.  Roberts  was  frank 
by  nature  ;  he  no  more  believed  in  concealments 
of  any  sort,  than  did  Flossy. 

Then  and  there,  he  told  the  story  that  the  two 
easy  chairs  in  the  library  knew  about.  He  even 
apologized  earnestly  for  seeking  the  daughter  first. 
It  had  not  been  his  intention  ;  he  had  meant  to 
call  on  the  family ;  but  they  were  absent,  and 
he  found  Miss  Flossy  alone.  And  —  well,  if 
Mr.  Shipley  had  been  particular,  as  assuredly  he 
would  have  been,  if  Mr.  Roberts  had  not  been  of 
the  firm  of  Bostwick,  Smytlie,  Roberts  &  Co.  it 
might  have  been  embarrassing  to  have  explained 
the  very  precipitate  result  of  his  call. 

But,  as  it  was,  Mr.  Shipley  was  so  amazed  and 
so  bewildered,  and  so  overwhelmed' with  de 
lighted  pride,  that  he  would  almost  have  for 
given  the  announcement  that  Mr.  Roberts  was 
already  his  son-in-law,  without  leave  or  license 
from  him.  As  it  was,  all  the  caution  had  to  be 
on  Mr.  Robert's  side.  He  asked  that  letters 
might  be  sent  to  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Smyth, 
to  his  father,  Mr.  James  Roberts,  proving,  not 


424         The   Chautauqua   Girls  at  Home. 

his  financial  standing,  the  unmistakable  knowl 
edge  of  the  private  affairs  of  the  firm  that  had 
established  him  there,  but  of  his  moral  character, 
and  his  standing  in  the  Christian  world. 

Do  you  believe  that  Mr.  Shipley  felt  the  ne 
cessity?  Not  he!  Had  he  not  been  willing 
more  than  that,  anxious  that  his  daughter's  for 
tune  should  be  linked  with  Col.  Baker's  ?  Did 
he  not  know  what  was  Col.  Baker's  standing  in 
the  moral  and  Christian  world  ?  After  all,  is  it 
any  wonder,  when  there  are  such  fathers  that 
many  daughters  make  shipwreck  of  their  lives  ? 
As  for  Mr.  Roberts,  he  was  almost  indignant : 

"  The  man  would  actually  sell  her,  if  by  that 
means  he  could  be  recognized  in  business  by  our 
house." 

If  it  had  been  any  other  young  man  than  him 
self,  who  was  in  question,  how  his  indignation 
would  have  blazed  at  such  proceedings!  But 
since  it  was  himself,  he  decided  to  accept  the 
situation. 

As  for  Flossy,  she  did  not  look  at  the  mattei 
in  that  light ;  when  she  found  that  all  the  per 
plexities  and  clouds  had  been  so  suddenly  and 
BO  strangely  smoothed  and  cleared  from  before 


Learners.  425 

her  way,  she  thought  of  those  hours  of  wakeful 
anxiety  that  she  had  wasted  the  night  before ; 
and  of  how,  finally,  she  had  made  her  heart  settle 
back  on  the  watchful  care  and  love  of  the  Father 
who  was  so  wise  and  so  powerful,  and  in  the 
quiet  of  her  own  room,  she  smiled,  as  she  said 
aloud : 

" '  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord,  trust  also 
in  him,  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass.'  How 
much  pleasanter  it  would  have  been  to  have 
committed  it  in  the  first  place,  before  I  wearied 
my  heart  with  worrying  over  what  I  could  not 
lift  my  finger  to  make  different  I  " 

So  in  less  time  than  it  has  taken  me  to  tell  it, 
the  rough  places  smoothed  suddenly  before 
Flossy  Shipley's  feet.  She  was  free  now,  to  go 
to  parties,  or  to  prayer-meetings,  or  to  stay  at 
home  according  to  her  own  fancy,  for  was  she 
not  the  promised  wife  of  a  partner  of  the  firm 
of  Bostwick,  Smythe,  Roberts  &  Co.  ? 

It  transpired  that  Mr.  Roberts  had  come  to 
make  a  somewhat  extended  stay  in  the  city,  to 
look  after  certain  business  affairs  connected  with 
the  firm,  and  also  to  look  after  certain  business 
interests  of  the  great  Master,  whose  work  he  la- 


426         The  Chautauqua  GHrls  at  Home. 

bored  at  with  untiring  persistence,  always  plac 
ing  it  above  all  other  plans,  and  working  at  it 
with  a  zeal  that  showed  his  heart  was  there. 

Flossy,  during  these  days,  took  great  strides 
as  a  learner  in  Christian  work.  Among  other 
things,  she  was  let  into  the  mysteries  of  some  of 
the  great  and  systematic  charities  of  the  city, 
and  found  what  wonderful  things  God's  wealth 
could  do,  placed  in  the  hands  of  careful  and  con 
scientious  stewards.  She  had  thought  at  first 
that  it  made  no  difference  at  all  to  her,  whether 
Mr.  Roberts  had  to  work  for  his  daily  bread,  or 
whether  he  had  means  at  his  disposal ;  but  very 
early  in  her  acquaintance  with  him  she  learned 
to  thank  God,  that  great  wealth  had  been  placed 
in  his  hands,  and  so,  was  to  be  at  her  disposal, 
and  that  she  was  learning  how  to  use  it. 

Some  of  her  new  experiences  had  their  embar 
rassing  side.  Mr.  Roberts  had  been  but  a  few 
days  in  the  city,  when  he  had  certain  proteges 
which  circumstance  had  thrown  in  his  way,  in 
whom  he  became  deeply  interested.  One  of 
these,  he  engaged  to  take  Flossy  to  visit. 

"They  are  very  poor,"  he  had  said  to  her, 
supposing  that  thereby  he  enlightened  her. 


Learners.  427 

Now  Flossy  had  small  knowledge  in  that  di« 
rection.  There  was  a  certain  old  lady  living  at 
the  extreme  east  end  who  hud  once  been  a  ser 
vant  in  their  family,  and  Flossy 's  nurse.  In  her, 
Flossy  was  much  interested,  and  had  been  often 
to  see  her.  She  kept  house  in  a  bit  of  a  room 
that  was  always  shining  with  cleanliness ;  her 
floor  was  covered  with  bright  rag  carpeting  ;  her 
bed  was  spread  with  a  gay  covered  quilt,  and 
her  little  cook  stove  glistened,  and  the  bright  tea 
kettle  sputtered  cheerily.  This  was  Flossy's 
idea  of  poverty. 

Therefore,  when  she  arrayed  herself  for  a  win 
try  walk  with  Mr.  Roberts,  there  was  to  her 
mind  no  incongruity  between  the  rich  black  silk, 
the  velvet  cloak,  the  elegant  laces,  and  costly 
furs,  and  the  "  very  poor  family  "  she  was  about 
to  visit.  Why  should  there  be  ?  She  had  trailed 
that  same  silk  over  old  Auntie  Green's  bright 
colored  rag  carpet  a  good  many  times  without 
experiencing  any  discomfort  therefrom. 

As  for  Mr.  Roberts,  he  regarded  her  with  a 
half  amused  smile  which  she  did  not  observe,  and 
said  nothing.  Probably  he  had  an  idea  that  she 
would  soon  be  wiser  than  she  was  then. 


428         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

"  It  is  too  far  to  walk,"  he  said,  as  they  readied 
a  point  where  street  cars  diverged  in  man}'  di 
rections  ;  so  he  hailed  a  passing  car,  and  during 
the  talk  that  followed,  Flossy  was  conveyed  to  a 
portion  of  the  city  she  not  only  had  never  seen 
before,  but  that  she  did  not  know  existed. 

She  looked  about  her  in  dismay  as  she  stepped 
down  from  the  car,  and  during  the  short  rapid 
walk  that  followed,  had  all  she  could  do  to  res 
cue  her  silken  robes  from  contact  with  awful 
filth,  and  to  keep  her  dainty  handkerchief  applied 
to  her  poor  little  nose.  Rapidly  and  silently 
they  made  their  way  to  a  long,  high  building, 
whose  filthy  outside  stairs  they  descended  and 
found  themselves  in  a  cellar  the  like  of  which 
Flossy  had  never  dreamed  of. 

A  dreadful  pile  of  straw  covered  over  by  a  tat 
tered  and  horribly  dirty  rag  that  had  once  been  a 
quilt,  on  this  bed  lay  a  child  not  }ret  ten  years 
old,  whose  deathly  pale  face  and  glassy  eyes  told 
the  story  of  hopeless  sickness.  No  pillow  on 
which  to  lay  the  poor  little  head  with  its  tangled 
masses  of  yellow  hair,  nothing  anywhere  that 
told  of  care  bestowed  or  necessary  wants  attended 
to.  Over  in  another  corner  on  another  filthy 


Learners.  429 

heap  of  straw  and  rags,  lay  the  mother,  sick  too,' 
with  the  same  absence  of  anything  like  decency 
in  everything  that  pertained  to  her. 

Utter  dismay  seized  upon  Flossy.  Could  it  be 
possible  that  human  beings,  beings  with  souls, 
for  whose  souls  her  blessed  Saviour  died,  were 
left  to  such  awful  desolation  of  poverty  as  this  I 
Mr.  Roberts  promptly  turned  upside  down  an  old 
tub  that  was  used  to  doing  duty  as  a  chair,  and 
seated  her  thereon,  while  he  went  forward  to  the 
woman. 

"  Have  you  had  your  dinner  to-day  ?  "  was  the 
first  question  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  have  ;  and  thank  you  kindly,  too,"  she 
added  gratefully.  "  The  woman  took  the  money 
and  bought  meat  as  you  told  her,  and  made  a 
broth,  and  I  and  the  little  girl  had  some ;  it  was 
good.  The  little  girl  took  quite  a  fe  w  spoonfuls 
of  it  and  said  it  tasted  good  ;  it  did  me  more  good 
to  hear  her  say  that,  than  it  did  to  eat  mine," 
the  poor  mother  said,  and  a  wistful  motherly 
look  went  over  to  the  heap  of  rags  in  the  cor 
ner. 

"  I  am  glad  that  she  could  eat  it,"  he  said  sim« 
ply.  Then  he  further  told  that  he  had  been  ar- 


430         The   Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

ranging  for  some  things  to  be  brought  to  make 
both  of  them  more  comfortable  ;  they  would  be 
here  soon,  could  the  woman  who  made  the  broth 
come  in  and  attend  to  them  ? 

The  sick  woman  shook  her  head.  She  was 
gone  for  the  day :  would  not  be  back  till  dark, 
then  would  have  to  get  her  children's  supper,  and 
do  her  washing  that  very  night.  "  She's  awful 
poor,"  the  woman  added  with  a  heavy  sigh. 
"  We  are  all  of  us  that ;  if  I  could  get  up  again, 
I  could  do  something  for  my  little  girl  I  most 
know  I  could,  but,  as  it  is  —  "  And  then  there 
was  that  hopeless  sigh. 

Meantime  Flossy,  after  sitting  with  a  distressed 
and  irresolute  face  for  a  few  minutes,  had  sud 
denly  risen  from  her  tub  and  gone  over  to  the 
little  girl.  Bending  beside  her  they  had  talked 
together  in  a  low  voice,  and  as  Mr.  Roberts 
turned  to  see  if  she  had  endured  the  scene  as 
long  as  her  nerves  would  admit,  she  turned 
towards  him  and  there  was  more  decision  in  her 
voice  than  he  had  ever  heard  before. 

"  Mr.  Roberts,  can  you  find  some  clean  water 
for  this  basin,  and  haven't  you  a  large  handker 
chief  with  you  ?  This  poor  child  must  have  her 
face  washed.  She  says  her  head  aches  very 


Learners.  431 

badly ;  that  will  help  it.  And  Mr.  Roberts, 
can't  you  go  out  immediately  to  the  store  and 
get  some  clothes  for  this  bed,  and  a  pillow,  don't 
theythave  such  things  in  stores  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  to  that,"  he  said  ;  "  there  will  be 
some  bed  clothing  here,  and  other  necessaries 
very  soon ;  but  how  can  we  manage  to  have  the 
beds  made  up  ?  I  have  ordered  bedsteads  and 
mattresses,  and  bed  clothing  has  been  prepared ; 
but  I  have  failed  thus  far  in  getting  any  one  to 
help  arrange  them  ?  " 

"  Can't  you  set  up  a  bedstead  ?  "  asked  Miss 
Flossy. 

"Why,  I  think  I  could,"  he  answered  her 
meekly." 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  can  make  the  beds.  As 
for  the  child,  she  must  have  a  bath  and  a  clean 
dress  before  she  is  ready  for  any  bed.  I  can  tell 
you  just  what  to  do,  Mr.  Roberts ;  you  must  go 
down  to  the  east  end,  No.  217  South  Benedict 
Street  and  find  my  old  Auntie  Green,  and  tell 
her  that  she  is  needed  here  just  as  soon  as  she 
can  get  here ;  tell  her  I  want  her ;  it  will  be  all 
right  then.  In  the  meantime,  this  child's  face 
must  b'e  washed  and  her  hair  combed.  I  see 
there  is  a  kettle  behind  that  stove,  could  you 


432         The   Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

manage  to  fill  it  with  water,  and  then  could  you 
make  a  better  fire  ?  Then,  I  can  stay  here  and 
do  a  good  many  things  while  you  are  gone." 

While  our  little  Flossy  was  talking,  she  was 
removing  her  lavendar  kid  gloves,  and  pinning 
up  out  of  sight  her  lace  ruffles.  Then  she  pro 
duced  from  some  one  of  the  bewildering  and 
dainty  pockets  that  trimmed  her  dress,  a  plain, 
hemstitched  handkerchief,  which  she  unceremo 
niously  dropped  into  the  tin  basin,  and  an 
nounced  herself  all  ready  for  the  water. 

"  But,  Flossy,"  said  her  embarrassed  attendant 
in  dismay,  "you  can't  do  these  things,  you  know ; 
wouldn't  it  be  better  to  come  with  me,  and  we 
will  go  after  this  Auntie  Green  and  tell  her  just 
what  to  do,  and  furnish  the  means  to  do  it  with. 
You  know  you  are  not  used  to  anything  of  this 
kind." 

"  I  know  it,"  she  said  quietly.  "  I  never  knew 
there  was  anything  like  this  in  the  world ;  I  am 
bowed  in  the  very  dust  with  shame  and  dismay. 
There  is  very  little  that  I  know  how  to  do,  but  I 
can  wash  this  poor,  neglected  child's  face.  Go 
right  away,  please ;  there  is  no  time  to  lose  I  am 
sure." 


Learners.  433 

What  swift  deft  fingers  she  had  to  be  sure. 
He  could  not  help  stopping  for  a  moment  in  his 
bewilderment  to  watch  her;  then  he  went,  and 
meekly  and  swiftly  did  her  bidding.  There  was 
much  done  during  that  afternoon.  Mr.  Roberts 
quietly  sinking  into  the  errand  man  who  was 
useful,  chiefly  because  he  could  promptly  do  as 
he  was  told ;  and  he  felt  with  every  additional 
direction  and  with  every  passing  moment  an  in 
creased  respect  for  the  executive  abilities  of  the 
little  girl,  whom  he  had  looked  forward  to  rous 
ing  by  degrees  to  a  sense  of  the  importance  of 
this  work,  and  gradually  to  a  participation  in 
other  than  the  money  charities  of  the  day. 

When  they  went  away  from  that  door,  as  they 
ascended  the  filthy  stairs  again,  she  said : 

"  What  an  awful  thought  that  human  beings 
exist  in  such  places  as  this,  and  that  I  did  not 
know  it  and  have  done  nothing  for  them  !  "  She 
was  certainly  not  exhausted,  not  overcome  with 
the  stench  and  the  filth,  though  there  was  water 
dripping  at  that  moment  from  her  rich  silk  dress. 
She  noticed  it,  and  as  she  brushed  off  the  drops, 
she  said : 

"  Evan,  if  you  knew,  I  wonder  that  you  did 


434         The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

not  tell  me  to  wear  my  Chautauqua  dress.  1 
shall  know  better  next  time.  I  must  have 
that  poor  little  girl  cured ;  there  are  ever  so 
many  things  to  do,  oh  Evan,  you  must  teach  me 
how." 

"  You  need  no  teacher,"  he  said  softly,  almost 
reverently,  "other  than  the  divine  Teuchei 
whom  you  have  had.  I  am  become  a  learner." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

FLOSSY'S  PARTY. 

^ARION  on  her  way  from  school,  had 
stopped  in  to  learn,  if  she  could,  what 
shadow  had  fallen  over  Ruth.  But  before  any 
thing  like  confidence  had  been  reached,  Flossy 
Shipley,  came,  full  of  life  and  eagerness. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  find  two  of  you  together," 
she  said,  "  it  expedites  matters  so  much.  Who 
do  you  think  can  be  going  to  give  a  party  next  ?  " 
"  A  party  !  "  said  Marion,  "  I  am  sure  I  don't 
know.  I  am  prepared  for  any  sort  of  news  on 
that  subject ;  one  would  think  there  had  been  a 
party  famine  for  years,  and  lost  time  was  to  be 
made  up,  to  see  the  manner  in  which  one  en- 

(435) 


436         Tlie  Cliautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

tertainmcnt  crowds  after  another,  since  the 
meetings  closed.  It  is  a  mercy  that  I  am  never 
invited,  it  would  take  all  my  leisure,  and  a  great 
deal  of  note  paper  to  prepare  regrets.  Who  is 
it?" 

"  I  haven't  the  least  idea  that  you  could  guess, 
BO  I  am  going  to  tell  you  ;  it's  just  myself." 

Both  of  her  listeners  looked  incredulous. 

"  I  am,"  she  said,  gleefully.  "  I  am  at  work 
on  the  arrangements  now  as  hard  as  I  can  be ; 
and  Marion  Wilbur,  you  needn't  go  to  talking 
about  note  paper  and  regrets ;  you  are  to  come. 
I  shall  have  to  give  up  Eurie,  and  I  am  sorry 
too,  she  would  have  helped  along  so  much  ;  but 
of  course  she  cannot  leave  her  mother." 

"  How  is  her  mother  ?  "  asked  both  girls  at 
once. 

"  Oh,  better ;  Nellis  says  the  doctor  feels  very 
hopeful,  now ;  but  of  course,  Eurie  doesn't  leave 
her,  and  cannot  for  a  long  time.  Nellis  Mitchell 
is  a  splendid  fellow.  How  strange  it  is  that  his 
interest  in  religious  matters  should  have  com 
menced  with  that  letter  which  Eurie  sent  him 
from  Chautauqua,  before  she  had  much  interest 
herself." 


Flo&stfs  Party.  437 

"Nobody  supposed  that  he  had,  I  am  sure," 
Ruth  said  ;  "  I  thought  him  the  most  indifferent 
of  mortals." 

"  So  did  I,  and  would  never  have  thought  to 
pray  for  him  at  all,  if  Eurie  had  not  asked  me 
to,  specially.  Did  you  know  he  led  the  young 
people's  meeting  last  evening  ?  Did  splendidly, 
Grace  Dennis  said.  By  the  way,  isn't  Grace  Den 
nis  lovely  ?  Marion,  don't  you  think  she  is  the 
most  interesting  young  lady  in  your  room  ?  " 

"  I  think  you  don't  enlighten  us  much  in  re 
gard  to  that  party,"  Marion  said,  her  cheeks 
growing  red  under  that  last  question. 

"  I  ought  to  be  on  my  way  ;  my  tea  will  be 
colder  than  usual  if  I  don't  hasten ;  what  scheme 
have  you  now,  Flossy,  and  what  do  you  want  to 
do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Ever  so  many  things ;  you  know  my  boys  ? 
Well,  they  are  really  young  men ;  and  any  one 
can  see  how  they  have  improved.  Some  of  them 
have  real  good  homes,  to  be  sure  ;  but  the  most 
of  them  are  friendless  sort  of  boys.  Now,  I  want 
to  get  them  acquainted ;  not  with  the  frippery 
people  who  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  them, 
but  with  some  of  our  real  splendid  boys  and  girla 


438         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

who  will  enjoy  helping  them.  I'm  going  to  have 
the  nicest  little  party  I  ever  had  in  my  life ;  I 
mean  to  have  some  of  the  very  best  people  there  ; 
then  I  shall  have  some  of  the  silly  ones,  of 
course  ;  partly  because  I  can't  help  it,  and  partly 
because  I  want  to  show  them  what  a  nice  time 
reasonable  beings  can  have  together,  if  they 
choose.  Nellis  Mitchell  is  enlisted  to  help  me  in 
ever  so  many  ways,  and  Mr.  Roberts  will  do  what 
he  can,  but  you  know  he  is  a  stranger.  My  great 
dependence  is  on  you  two.  I  want  you  to  see 
to  it,  that  my  boys  don't  feel  lonely  or  out  of 
place  one  single  minute  during  the  entire  even- 
ing." 

"  But  I  am  afraid  I  shall  feel  lonely,  and  out 
of  place,"  Marion  said  ;  "  you  know  I  am  never 
invited  to  parties." 

Flossy  laughed. 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  a  strange  sight  to  see  you 
feeling  out  of  place  ?  "  she  asked,  gaily.  Mar 
ion,  I  can't  conceive  of  a  place  to  which  you 
wouldn't  do  credit." 

Whereupon  Marion  arose  and  made  a  low 
courtesy. 

"  Thank  you,*'   she  said,  in  mock  gravity.    "  I 


Flossy'g  Party.  439 

never  had  a  compliment  before  in  ID j  life  ;  I 
shall  certainly  come  ;  there  is  nothing  like  a  lit 
tle  flattery  to  win  people." 

"  Don't  be  nonsensical,"  pleaded  Flossy  ;  "  f 
am  really  in  earnest.  Ruth,  I  may  depend  upon 
you  ?  I  know  you  are  not  going  to  entertain 
ments  this  winter,  but  mine  is  to  be  a  small  one, 
compared  with  the  others ;  and  you  know  it 
will  be  unlike  any  that  we  have  had  at  our 
house." 

Ruth  hesitated. 

"  When  is  it  to  be  ?  "  she  asked,  her  cheeks 
glowing  over  her  own  thoughts.  "  I  shall  be  en 
gaged  on  Friday  evening  of  next  week." 

"  It  is  to  be  on  Wednesday." 

"  Then  I  will  come.  And  if  I  play,  Marion, 
will  you  sing  to  entertain  the  unusual  guests  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  Marion  said,  promptly.  "  I  never 
sang  in  company  in  my  life ;  but  do  you  suppose 
there  is  anything  I  will  not  do  for  Flossy's  guests, 
after  what  she  has  just  said  ?  Only,  Flossy,  I 
shall  have  to  wear  my  black  cashmere." 

"  Wear  your  brown  calico,  if  you  choose  ;  you 
look  royal  in  it,"  Flossy  said,  turning  a  beaming 
face  on  Marion.  She  had  heard  her  sing,  she 


440         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

knew  what  a  rare  musical  treat  it  would  be  to 
those  boys  of  hers.  So  this  was  Flossy's  last  de 
parture  from  the  beaten  track. 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  imperative 
laws  and  lines  which  circumscribe  the  fashiona 
ble  world  will  realize  just  how  marked  a  depart 
ure  it  was.  It  was  a  remarkable  party.  The 
very  highest  and  most  sought  after  of  the  fash 
ionable  world  were  there,  a  few  of  them,  and 
John  Warden  was  there  in  his  new  business  suit 
of  grey,  looking  and  feeling  like  a  man. 

Flossy's  boys  were  all  present,  and  those  who 
knew  of  them  and  their  associations  and  advan 
tages,  marvelled  much  at  their  ease  of  manner 
and  perfect  propriety  of  behaviour.  How  could 
they  have  learned  so  much  ?  Flossy  did  not 
know,  herself,  but  the  boys  did. 

Her  exquisite  grace  of  manner,  her  perfect  ob 
servance  of  all  the  rules  and  courtesies  of  polite 
society  in  her  intercourse  with  them,  had  pro 
duced  its  legitimate  fruit ;  had  instinctively  in 
clined  them  to  be  able  to  treat  her  with  the  same 
sort  of  grace  which  she  freely  and  everywhere 
bestowed  on  them. 

Had  she  not  met  them  on  the  street,  in.  the 


Flossy's  Party.  441 

very  heart  of  Broadway  when  she  was  walking 
with  some  of  her  fashionable  friends  ?  Had  she 
not  taken  pains  to  recognize  them  with  a  spec 
ially  cordial  bow,  and  if  near  enough,  with  a  de 
liberate  speaking  of  their  names,  being  sure  to 
slightly  emphasize  the  unusual  prefix  "Mr." 

These  and  a  hundred  other  kindred  trifles,  so 
small  that  they  are  not  noted  among  the  qualifi 
cations  for  Sabbath-school  teachers,  so  powerful 
for  good,  that  they  often  turn  the  current  of  a 
human  life,  had  been  carefully  regarded  by 
Flossy,  and  to-night  she  was  triumphant  over 
her  success.  She  had  not  only  helped  her  boys 
to  be  true  to  their  convictions  of  right  and  dig 
nity,  not  only  to  take  on  true  manliness  of  decis 
ion  in  regard  to  the  all  important  question  of 
personal  religion,  she  had  helped  them  to  be  gen 
tlemen.  There  is  many  a  faithful  teacher  to 
whom,  thinking  of  these  minor  matters,  it  might 
be  said : 

"These  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to 
kave  left  the  other  undone." 

From  first  to  last,  Flossy's  party  was  a  suc 
cess.  To  Ruth  and  Marion  it  was  a  study,  de 
veloping  certain  curious  features  which  they 


442         The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

never  forgot.  Marion  had  her  own  private  Lit 
of  interest  that  not  another  present,  save  Gracie 
Dennis  knew  about.  She  was  not  a  party  goer. 
Even  so  small  a  gathering  as  this,  was  new  to 
her.  She  looked  upon  all  these  people  with  a 
keen  interest ;  many  of  them  she  was  meeting 
for  the  first  time.  That  is,  she  was  being  intro 
duced  to  them,  and  receiving  their  kindly  greet 
ings  ;  for  Flossy  had  succeeded  in  gathering  only 
those,  who  whatever  they  might  think  of  her 
choice  of  guests,  were  much  too  well  bred  to  ex 
hibit  other  than  pleasure  while  they  were  her 
guests. 

But  only  Marion  knew  that  she  was  destined 
to  meet  these  people  again,  and  probably  often, 
under  different  circumstances  ;  the  probability 
was  that  many  of  them  would  be  her  own  guests, 
would  receive  and  return  her  calls,  would  fall 
into  the  habit  of  consulting  her  in  regard  to  this 
or  that  matter  of  church  interest  that  would 
come  up ;  not  one  of  them  dreamed  of  such  a 
thing ;  and  when  she  tried  to  lead  them  into  con 
versation  on  matters  pertaining  to  the  church  in 
terests,  they  looked  their  surprise  that  she  should 
have  such  intelligent  knowledge  concerning 
these  matters. 


Flossy' s  Party.  443 

Altogether  it  was  an  evening  full  of  private 
fun  on  her  part.  There  was  to  be  such  a  curi 
ous  turn  about  of  position,  she  realized  so  fully 
that  it  would  be  such  unutterable  surprise  to  the 
people,  that  it  was  impossible  not  to  feel  amused, 
and  to  treasure  up  certain  words  and  phrases 
that  would  sound  very  queerly  to  the  speakers 
thereof,  if  they  remembered  them  when  those 
said  changes  became  manifest  to  the  eyes  of  the 
world. 

There  was  more  than  fun  to  be  gotten  out  of 
the  evening  ;  she  watched  the  young  people  with 
eager  interest.  She  was  to  be  a  great  deal  to 
these  young  people ;  she  must  try  to  understand 
them,  to  win  them.  She  wanted  to  be  a  help, 
a  comfort,  a  guide.  She  had  wonderful  plans 
and  aims.  She  blessed  Flossy  in  her  heart  for 
this  opportunity  to  study  her  lesson  before  it 
should  be  time  to  practise  it. 

That  same  Flossy  afforded  her  help  in  another 
direction.  There  was  no  hiding  the  hold  that 
she  had  gotten,  not  only  on  those  young  men  of 
her  class,  but  those  of  their  friends  that  they  had 
brought  within  her  influence.  There  was  no  dis 
guising  the  fact,  that  among  the  young  ladies  she 
was  a  favorite ;  one  whom  they  liked  to  have 


444         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

among  them,  whom  they  liked  to  please.  How 
had  she  done  it  all  ? 

"  I  can  never  be  Flossy,"  Mai-ion  said  to  her 
self,  an  amused  smile  hovering  around  hei 
lips  meanwhile,  at  the  thought  that  she  should 
have  a  shadow  of  desire  to  become  their  little 
Flossy.  "  But  it  is  worth  while  to  steal  her  se 
cret  of  success,  if  I  can,  and  practise  it." 

Close  watching  revealed  a  good  deal  of  the 
secret ;  as  much  of  it  at  least  as  could  be  put  in 
to  words.  Evidently  the  little  lady  had  the 
power  of  making  other  people's  interests  her 
own  for  the  time  being ;  of  impressing  the  one 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact,  with  a  sense  of 
his  own  importance,  in  her  eyes;  at  least  she  was 
interested  in  what  he  said  and  did,  and  in  what 
interested  him.  She  could  enter  into  the  mi 
nute  details  of  a  matter  which  did  not  concern 
her  in  the  least,  with  such  apparent  interest  and 
desire  to  know  all  that  was  to  be  known  about 
it,  that  one  could  hardly  help  the  feeling  that 
certainly  the  subject  was  worthy  of  attention. 

Then  her  face  spoke  for  her ;  it  could  cloud  in 
an  instant  in  sympathy  with  any  sort  of  trouble 
or  anxiety,  and  sparkle  with  happy  smiles  in  the 


Flossy 's  Party.  445 

very  next  second  over  some  bit   of  brightness 
that  was  mentioned. 

"  She  is  a  blessed  little  hypocrite,  and  that  is 
the  whole  of  it,"  was  Marion's  mental  comment. 
"  That  sort  of  hypocrisy  is  worth  studying.  It 
is  as  natural  to  Flossy  as  that  lovely  pink  on  her 
cheek ;  but  I  am  afraid  I  should  have  to  acquire 
it ;  I  don't  feel  interested  in  other  people's 
affairs  ;  now,  that  is  a  fact.  Why  should  she  ? 
In  the  first  place,  I  know  it  is  natural  for  her  to 
like  to  please  people  ;  that  is  the  beginning  of  it ; 
she  has  that  advantage  over  me,  for  she  was  al- 
was  so,  and  I  always  wasn't  so.  But  she  has 
something  else ;  she  did  not  care  once  to  please 
such  as  these  rough  boys  of  hers,  at  least  they 
were  rough  when  she  started  the  refining  pro 
cess  ;  how  she  had  worked  for  them ;  I  never 
realized  it  so  much  as  to-night.  It  is  just  this  : 
she  has  sanctified  her  power  of  pleasing,  and  put 
it  to  a  grand  use  in  fishing  for  souls.  Meantime, 
I  have  some  degree  of  power  of  that  kind,  though 
it  doesn't  show  in  the  same  wa}%  But  I  am  not 
sure  I  have  thought  of  it,  with  a  view  to  using  it 
for  such  work  ;  also,  I  dare  say  one  can  cultivate 
an  interest  in  other  people  if  they  try.  I  mean 


446         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

to  try.  I  know  one  way  in  which  I  can  please 
people,  I  can  sing." 

Whereupon  she  immediately  sought  Ruth  and 
proposed  music,  herself  going  after  Rich.  John 
son  to  come  and  sing  tenor,  and  bidding  him 
bring  a  friend  to  sing  bass.  Then  such  music  as 
they  had  that  evening,  was  certainly  never  heard 
at  a  party  at  Mr.  Shipley's  house  before. 

The  music  room  was  a  little  bower  of  a  spot 
at  the  left  of  the  parlors.  It  was  not  only  the 
music  room  but  the  flower  room  ;  at  least  there 
were  vines  and  plants  and  blooming  flowers  in 
the  windows,  festooning  the  curtains,  hanging 
from  lovely  wire  baskets,  a  profusion  everywhere. 
Thither  went  Ruth,  Marion,  and  the  two  young 
men  who  went  in  silence  from  very  astonishment 
over  this  new  invitation.  In  silence  and  embar 
rassment,  believing  in  their  hearts  that  they 
could  not  sing  at  all.  As  for  Marion,  she  knew 
better.  She  had  stood  near  them  in  Sunday- 
school. 

Ruth  swept  the  piano  clear  of  all  sheet 
music  and  substituted  the  Bliss  and  Sankey  Gos 
pel  hymns,  and  Marion  passed  a  book  to  each, 
naming  a  page,  and  instantly  her  full,  grand 


Flossy1*  Party.  447 

voice  joined  Ruth's  music.  Very  faint  were  the 
tenor  and  bass  accompaniments  ;  but  as  the  first 
verse  closed  and  they  entered  upon  the  second, 
the  melody  had  gotten  possession  of  their  hearts, 
and  they  let  out  their  voices  without  knowing  it, 
so  that  when  the  piece  was  ended,  Marion  turned 
with  a  bright  face,  and  said  : 

"  I  haven't  enjoyed  a  song  so  much  in  years. 
What  a  splendid  tenor  you  sing,  Mr.  Johnson." 
To  herself  she  said  :  "  There  !  I'm  improving ;  I 
honestly  think  that.  But  twenty-four  hours 
ago,  I  should  have  kept  it  to  myself.  It  isn't 
hypocrisy,  after  all :  it  is  sincerity. 

Another,  and  another  piece  was  tried,  the 
music  room  meantime  filling ;  for  Flossy  had 
brought  in  her  train  others  of  the  boys.  And 
at  last,  as  the  last  verse  of  "  Hold  the  Fort  " 
rang  out,  Marion  turned  from  the  piano  to  dis 
cover  that  utmost  silence  prevailed  in  the  rooms 
where  chatter  had  been  before,  and  every  avail 
able  place  in  and  about  the  music  room  was  fill 
ed  with  hushed  listeners,  while  those  who  could 
not  get  in,  sat  or  stood  outside  in  silence  and 
wrapt  attention.  Such  music  as  that  at  a  party 
they  had  never  heard  before. 


448         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

"  You  and  I  are  a  success,  I  think,"  Marion 
said  brightly,  as  she  linked  her  hand  in  Ruth's 
arm,  when  they  left  the  piano. 

"  We  are  doing  our  duty  beautifully." 

"  Are  you  complimenting  yourself  because  you 
are  afraid  no  one  will  perform  that  office  ?  "  Ruth 
asked,  laughing. 

"  No,  I'm  doing  it  because  I  have  begun  to  be 
sincere.  I've  made  a  discovery  to-night.  Ruth, 
it  is  you  and  I  who  are  hypocritical,  in  refusing  to 
say  what  we  think  about  people,  when  it  would 
sound  real  nicely,  and  would  doubtless  make 
them  feel  pleasanter  and  happier." 

Meantime,  Ruth  had  her  lesson  also  that  she 
had  been  learning.  What  a  trial  parties  had  al- 
was  been  to  her  I  How  haughtily  she  had  stood 
aloof  enduring  with  annoj^ed  heart,  and  often 
times  with  curling  lip,  sillinesses  that  she  could 
not  avoid,  listening  to  conversations  and  joining 
in  monosyllables  when  obliged  to  do  so,  that 
drove  her  to  the  very  verge  of  patience,  not  once 
imagining  that  there  was  any  help  for  her,  any 
hope  of  stemming  the  current,  or  in  any  way 
changing  the  accepted  course  of  things. 

She  was  learning.  Several  times  during  the 
evening  it  had  been  her  fortune  to  stand  near 


Flossy'*  Party.  449 

Evan  Roberts  and  join  in  the  conversation  which 
he  was  carrying  on.  Each  time  she  was  amazed 
and  thrilled  to  see  with  what  consummate  skill 
and  tact  he  turned  the  current  of  thought  to 
wards  the  vital  question  of  personal  religion. 
Always  with  an  easy  familiarity  of  expression 
that  made  one  feel  and  realize  that  to  him  it  was 
a  matter  of  course,  and  as  natural  to  be  talked 
about,  as  the  sunshine  or  the  moonlight. 

Wondering  over  this  peculiarity  of  his,  once 
as  they  talked  together  she  referred  to  it. 

"  I  can  conceive  of  parties  being  less  of  a  trial 
to  you  than  to  many  of  us,  because  of  the  ability 
you  have  of  turning  the  conversation  to  some  ac 
count." 

He  smiled  brightly.  "  They  are  not,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  often  looked  forward  to  an  evening  gath 
ering  with  eager  interest  and  thankfulness,  be 
cause  of  the  opportunity  for  meeting  some  there 
whom  I  could  not  catch  elsewhere  and  saying  a 
word  for  my  Master.  But,  Miss  Erskine,  you 
speak  of  *  ability,'  I  simply  use  my  tongue  on 
that  subject  as  on  any  other  worthy  of  thought." 

"  But  don't  you  think  it  requires  a  peculiar 
sort  of  tact  to  be  able  to  bring  in  such  subjects 
in  a  manner  calculated  to  do  any  good  ?  " 


450         The   CJiautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

He  shook  his  head,  "  I  should  say  rather,  it 
required  a  sincere  heart,  and  an  earnest  desire 
to  interest  a  soul.  We  depend  too  much  on  tact 
and  too  little  on  God's  spirit.  '  Open  thy  mouth 
and  I  will  fill  it,'  is  a  promise  that  applies  to  more 
places  than  a  prayer-meeting,  I  think.  What 
we  need  most  to  overcome  is  the  idea  that  there 
is  anything  wicked  in  talking  about  religion  in 
an  everyday  tone,  as  we  talk  about  other  topics 
t»f  absorbing  interest." 

"  There  are  different  ways  of  going  to  parties," 
Ruth  said  to  herself  in  a  musing  tone  as  she 
turned  from  him,  and  she  wondered  if  she  could 
ever  get  to  feel  that  she  might  even  go  to  a  party 
occasionally,  with  the  glory  of  God  in  view. 
This  started  a  train  of  thought  that  made  her 
turn  suddenly  back  to  Mr.  Roberts  with  a  ques 
tion. 

"  That  doctrine  wouldn't  lead  you  to  be  a  con 
stant  frequenter  of  parties,  would  it  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  By  no  means.  And  there  are  parties  many 
of  them,  which,  as  a  Christian  man,  I  could  not 
attend  at  all.  We  must  guard  against  a  tempta 
tion  to  do  evil,  that  good  may  come." 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

A  PAETINQ  GLANCE. 

[R.  DENNIS  and  his  friend,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Harrison  met  again  at  the  street  corner ; 
they  stopped  and  shook  hands,  as  they  always 
did,  even  if  they  chanced  to  meet  three  times  in 
one  day. 

"  Meetings  closed  ?  "  questioned  Mr.  Harrison, 
after  the  preliminary  words  had  been  spoken. 
"  What  a  glorious  time  you  have  had  I  Such  a 
pity  that  our  flocks  are  so  far  apart  I  If  we 
could  have  united  with  you  in  regular  atten 
dance,  it  would  have  been  a  great  blessing ;  as  it 
was,  many  a  drop  came  to  us." 

(451) 


452         The  Chautauqua  Grirls  at  Home. 

"  Yes,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  "  we  have  had  a  great 
blessing  ;  and  I  need  not  use  the  past  tense,  the 
work  is  going  on  yet,  although  the  meetings  do 
not  continue.  The  work  will  continue  forever, 
I  believe  ;  the  truth  is,  we  have  had  a  new  bap 
tism,  the  members  who  came  to  us  early  in  the 
fall,  came  filled  with  the  Spirit,  and  have  worked 
as  no  other  members  of  mine  ever  did." 

"  You  mean  your  Chautauqua  reinforcement, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do ;  I  thank  God  for  Chautauqua 
every  day  of  my  life.  What  a  dreadful  blunder 
I  made  when  I  limited  the  power  of  God  in  the 
way  I  did  when  we  talked  that  matter  over  I  you 
remember  ?  " 

**  I  remember,"  Mr.  Harrison  said  with  a  pecu 
liar  laugh ;  "  It  was  a  wonderful  meeting,  but 
then,  after  all,  were  they  not  rather  peculiar 
young  ladies  ?  It  isn't  every  lady  who  even  after 
she  is  converted,  lives  just  the  sort  of  life  that 
they  are  living." 

"  I  know,"  Dr.  Dennis  said  ;  "  Yes,  they  are 
unusual,  I  think  ;  especially  one  of  them,"  was 
bis  mental  addition. 

"Especially  one    of    them,"  murmured    Mr. 


A  Parting   Glance.  453 

Harrison  in  his  heart ;  and  each  gentleman 
smiled  consciously,  neither  having  the  slightest 
idea  what  the  other  meant  by  the  smile. 

Marion  Wilbur  came  down  the  street  with 
her  hands  full  of  school  books. 

"  Good-evening,"  said  Dr.  Dennis  ;  "  How  do 
you  do  this  evening  ?  Air.  Harrison,  do  you 
know  this  lady  ?  She  is  one  of  my  flock." 

No,  Mr.  Harrison  did  not  know  her ;  and  in 
troductions  followed.  After  she  passed  by,  Mr. 
Harrison  said,  "  I  think  you  told  me  once  that 
she  had  been  an  infidel  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  mistake,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  hastily. 
"She  had  peculiar  views,  and  I  think  she  imag 
ined  herself  at  one  time  an  unbeliever ;  but  she 
is  really  wonderfully  well  grounded  in  the  doc 
trines  of  the  church ;  she  is  like  an  old  Chris 
tian." 

Many  of  Dr.  Dennis'  people  were  abroad  ;  the 
next  passer  by  was  Eurie  Mitchell ;  the  doctor 
stopped  her.  "  One  minute,  Miss  Eurie,  how  is 
your  mother  to-night?  Mr.  Harrison,  do  you 
know  Miss  Mitchell,  the  doctor's  daughter  ?  " 

Yes,  Mr.  Harrison  had  met  Miss  Mitchell  bo- 
fore.  In  the  fast  coming  dusk,  Dr.  Dennis  failed 


454         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

to  see  the  flush  of  embarrassment  on  his  friend's 
cheek,  as  he  acknowledged  the  introduction. 

"  She  is  a  grand  girl,"  Dr.  Dennis  said,  look 
ing  after  her.  "  Her  development  is  wonderful ; 
more  marked  of  late,  I  think,  than  before.  Well, 
as  you  say,  they  were  unusual  girls,  but  I  tell 
you,  we  as  pastors  have  reason  to  say :  "  God 
bless  Chautauqua." 

"Amen,"  said  Mr.  Harrison,  and  Dr.  Dennis 
thought  him  unusually  earnest  and  intense,  es 
pecially  when  he  added : 

"  I  propose  we  go  next  year,  and  take  with  us 
as  many  of  our  respective  flocks  as  we  can  be 
guile  into  it." 

"  Aye,  that  we  will,"  Dr.  Dennis  answered ; 
then  the  two  gentlemen  went  on  their  respective 
ways. 

It  was  a  large  city,  and  they  were  both  busy 
ministers,  and  lived  far  apart,  and  met  but  sel 
dom,  except  in  their  ministerial  meetings ;  there 
was  chance  for  each  to  have  interests  that  the 
other  knew  nothing  about. 

Marion  reached  home  just  in  time  for  supper ; 
the  table  appointments  at  that  home  were  not 
improving ;  indeed,  there  were  those  who  said, 


A  Parting  Glance.  455 

that  the  bread  grew  sourer  every  week ;  this 
week,  it  had  added  to  its  sourness,  stickiness, 
that  was  horrible  to  one's  fingers  and  throat. 
The  dried  fruit  that  had  been  half  stewed,  was 
sweetened  with  brown  sugar,  and  the  looking 
over  process,  so  necessary  to  dried  fruit,  had  been 
wholly  neglected. 

But  Marion  ate  her  supper,  almost  entirely  un 
conscious  of  these  little  defects ;  that  is,  she  ac 
cepted  them  as  a  matter  of  course  and  looked 
serene  over  it.  Things  were  not  as  they  had 
been  on  that  rainy  evening,  when  it  had  seemed 
to  her  that  she  could  never,  no  never  eat  another 
supper  in  that  house  ;  then,  it  seemed  probable 
that  in  that  house,  or  one  like  unto  it,  she  would 
have  to  eat  all  the  suppers  that  this  dreary  life 
had  in  store  for  her ;  but  now,  the  days  were 
growing  fewer  in  which  this  house  would  be 
called  her  home. 

No  one  knew  it ;  at  least,  no  one  but  herself 
and  two  others.  She  looked  around  on  her  fel 
low  boarders  with  a  pitying  smile  ;  that  little 
sewing-girl  at  her  left,  how  many  such  suppers 
would  she  have  to  eat  I 

"She   shall  have  a  nice  one  every  now  and 


456         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

then,  see  if  she  doesn't,"  was  Marion's  mental 
conclusion,  with  a  nod  of  her  glad  head ;  there 
were  so  many  nice  things  to  be  done  I  Life  was 
BO  bright. 

Hadn't  Oracle  Dennis  whispered  to  her  this 
very  afternoon : 

"  Miss  Wilbur,  one  of  these  days  I  shall  hate 
to  come  to  school,  I  shall  want  to  stay  at 
home." 

And  she  answered  softly,  surreptitiously  kiss 
ing  the  glowing  cheek  meanwhile : 

"  The  teacher  who  reigns  here  shall  be  your 
special  friend.  And  you  are  to  bring  her  home 
with  you  to  lovely  little  teas  that  shall  be  wait 
ing  for  you." 

This  matter  of  "teas"  had  gotten  a  strong 
hold  on  Marion.  Perhaps,  because  in  no  other 
way  had  a  sense  of  unhomelike  loneliness  pressed 
upon  her,  as  at  that  time  when  families  gener 
ally  gathered  together  in  pretty  homes. 

She  went  up,  presently,  to  her  dingy  room. 
Just  every  whit  as  dingy  now,  as  it  had  been  on 
that  rainy  evening,  but  she  gave  no  thought  at 
all  to  it.  She  lighted  her  fire,  and  sat  down  to  her 
writing ;  not  reports  to-night.  She  muat  write  a 


A  Parting  Glance.  457 

letter  to  Aunt  Hannah ;  a  brief  letter  it  was, 
but  containing  a  great  deal.     This  was  it : 

"  DEAE  ATJNT  HANNAH  :  — 

"  Don't  you  think,  I  am  going  to  be  married  ! 
Now,  you  never  expected  that  of  me,  did  you  ? 
Neither  did  I,  but  that  is  the  way  the  matter 
stands.  Now,  the  question  is:  May  I  come 
home  to  the  wedding  ?  The  old  farm-house  is 
all  the  home  I  have,  you  know.  I  hope  you  will 
let  us  come  ;  I  am  giving  you  plenty  of  notice  ; 
we  shall  not  want  to  come  until  after  the  spring 
term  ;  one  of  us  wants  to  be  there  by  the  seven 
teenth  of  June,  I  thought  I  ought  to  tell  you 
before  the  spring  house-cleaning.  Let  me  hear 
from  you  as  soon  as  you  can,  so  that  I  may  know 
how  to  plan. 

"  I  could  be  married  in  the  church,  I  presume, 
but  I  feel,  and  the  other  one  concerned  feels  so 
too,  —  that  I  would  like  to  go  back  to  the  old 
farm-house.  We  won't  make  much  trouble,  nor 
have  any  fuss,  you  know. 

"  Dear  Aunt  Hannah,  I  am  so  glad  the  money 
gave  you  comfort.  Then  I  am  so  very  glad  that 
you  thought  about  that  other  matter  of  which  I 


458         The  Chautauqua  G-irls  at  Home. 

wrote  ;  that  is  the  greatest  and  best  thing  to 
have  in  the  world.  I  think  so  now,  when  I  am 
on  the  eve  of  other  blessings ;  that  one  stands 
before  them  all.  The  gentleman  whom  I  am  to 
many  is  a  minister.  He  is  very  good. 

"  Aunt  Hannah  I  shall  want  your  advice  about 
all  sorts  of  sewing  when  I  come  home.  I  shall 
come  in  May,  that  is,  if  you  let  me  come  at 
all.  I  hope  you  will.  Give  my  love  to  Uncle 
Reuben.  My  friend  sends  his  respects  to  you 
both.  Lovingly, 

"  Marion  J  Wilbur." 

She  had  a  fondness  during  those  days,  foi 
writing  out  that  name  in  fall. 

A  gentle  tap  at  the  door  being  answered,  ad 
mitted  Flossy  Shipley. 

"  You  darling  I  "  said  Marion,  brightly,  as  she 
gave  her  eager  greeting.  "  How  nice  of  you  to 
come  and  see  me  when  you  have  so  much  to 
think  of.  Flossy  where  is  Mr.  Roberts  ?  Why 
don't  you  bring  him  to  call  on  me  ?  " 

"  He  hasn't  time  to  call  on  anybody,"  Flos 
sy  said,  with  a  mixture  of  pride,  and  a  sort  of 
comic  pettishness. 

"  He  has  so  many  poor  families  on  his  hands ; 


A  Parting  Glance.  459 

he  and  I  have  been  out  all  day.  Marion  you 
have  no  idea  at  all  of  the  places  where  we  have 
been !  1  do  think  there  ought  to  be  an  organ 
ized  system  of  charity  in  our  church ;  some 
thing  different  from  the  hap-hazard  way  of  doing 
things  that  we  have.  Mr.  Roberts  says,  that  in 
New  York,  their  church  is  perfectly  organized  to 
look  after  certain  localities,  and  that  no  such 
thing  as  utter  destitution  can  prevail  in  their  sec 
tion.  Don't  you  think  Dr.  Dennis  would  be  in 
terested  in  such  an  effort." 

"  He  will  be  interested  in  anything  that  is 
good,"  Marion  said,  with  unusual  energy  even 
for  her. 

Flossy  turned  her  pretty  head  towards  her,  and 
eyed  her  curiously.  , 

"  You  like  him  better  than  you  did ;  don't 
you,  Marion  ?  " 

"Didn't  I  always  like  him,"  Marion  asked, 
with  averted  face  and  a  laugh  in  her  voice. 

"  Oh,  you  used  to  think  him  stiff,  and  said  you 
felt  all  shut  up  in  his  presence.  Don't  you  re 
member  our  first  call  at  his  study  ?  " 

"I  think  I  do,"  Marion  answered,  bursting 
into  a  merry  laugh.  "  Ever  so  many  things  have 
happened  since  then,  little  Flossy  I  " 


460         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

"  Haven't  there  !  "  said  innocent  Flossy. 

"  It  has  been  such  a  wonderful  year !  dating 
from  that  day  when  it  rained  and  you  made  me 
go,  do  you  remember,  Marion  ?  Do  you  ever 
get  to  wondering  what  would  have  been,  if  we 
had  just  stayed  on  here  at  home,  going  to  our  par 
ties  and  getting  up  festivals,  and  all  that,  and 
paying  no  attention  to  the  Chautauqua  meet 
ings  ?  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  think  about  any  such  horrid 
retrospect  as  that !  "  Marion  said,  with  a  shrug 
of  her  handsome  shoulders,  and  a  genuine  shiver. 

Flossy  laughed. 

"But  you  kuo\v  it  is  only  something  to  think 
of,  to  make  us  more  grateful.  It  can  never  foj, 
never.  By  the  way,  I  suppose  it  is  early  to  be 
gin  to  make  plans  for  the  summer,  at  least  for 
those  who  have  no  occasion  to  talk  about  sum 
mer  yet ;  —  this  last  with  a  conscious  little 
laugh  —  "  But  don't  you  mean  to  go  to  Chautau 
qua  next  summer  ?  Mr.  Roberts  and  I  are  going ; 
we  would  rather  give  up  a  journey  to  Europe 
than  that.  Can't  we  all  contrive  to  meet  there 
together  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Marion,  "  we  — /mean  to  go." 


A  Parting  Glance.  461 

"  Dr.  Dennis  is  going,"  Flossy  said,  though 
why  that  had  anything  to  do  with  the  matter, 
or  why  it  occurred  to  her  just  then,  Flossy  did 
not  know.  "  He  told  Mr.  Roberts  that  he  meant 
to  be  there,  and  to  take  with  him  as  many  of  his 
people  as  he  could.  And  Eurie  told  me  last 
night  that  his  friend,  Mr.  Harrison,  of  the  Fourth 
church  was  going.  I  don't  know  how  Eurie  / 
heard  that,  through  Nellis,  I  suppose. 

"  Isn't  Nellis  splendid  nowadays  ?  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  quite  a  large  company  went  from  here. 
I  wonder  if  Dr.  Dennis  will  take  his  daughter 
Grace.  I  think  she  is  just  lovely,  don't  you  ?  " 

"Very,"  said  Marion;  and  just  here  Flossy 
roused  to  the  fact  that  she  was  doing  most  of  the 
talking,  and  that  Marion's  answers  were  often  in 
monosyllables. 

"  I  dare  say  I  am  tiring  you,"  she  said,  rising. 
"  I  forget  that  you  have  to  talk  all  day  in  that 
school-room,  Marion.  Are  you  sure  you  love  to 
teach  well  enough  to  keep  at  it,  year  after 
year  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Marion,  laughing.  "I  know  I 
don't ;  I  don't  mean  to  do  it ;  I  mean  to  get  a  sit 
uation  as  somebody's  housekeeper." 


462         The  Chautauqua  Crirls  at  Home. 

"Do  you  understand  housekeeping?"  asked 
innocent  little  Flossy,  with  wide  open  eyes. 

"  Oh,  Marion !  are  you  sure  it  will  be  even  as 
pleasant  as  school  teaching  ?  " 

"I  think  so,"  Marion  answered  with  grave 
face.  "At  least,  I  mean  to  try.  It  depends 
on  whose  house  you  get  into,  you  know." 

Flossy's  sober  face  cleared  in  an  instant. 

"  So  it  does,"  she  said.  "  Marion,  I  have  a 
nice  plan,  but  I  shall  not  tell  you  a  bit  about  it 
to-night.  Good-bye." 

"  Oh,  the  dear  blessed  little  gooeie  I  "  Marion 
said,  laughing  immoderately  as  the  door  closed 
after  Flossy.  "Now,  I  know  as  well  as  if  she 
told  me,  that  she  is  going  to  beguile  Mr.  Roberts 
into  offering  me  a  situation  in  their  dove  cote, 
when  they  set  it  up.  "  Blessed  little  darling  I  " 
and  here,  the  laugh  changed  into  a  bright  tear. 
"  I  know  just  what  a  sweet  and  happy  home  she 
would  make  for  me.  If  I  had  only  that  to  look 
forward  to,  if  it  had  just  opened  as  my  escape 
from  this  boarding  house,  how  very  thankful  I 
should  be  I  How  glad  the  dear  child  will  be  to 
know  that  my  home  is  as  nearly  in  view  as  her 
ow»." 


A  Parting  Glance.  463 

As  for  Flossy,  she  went  down  the  walk,  say 
ing: 

"  What  a  dismal  room  that  is  ?  It  is  too  bad 
for  our  bright  Marion  to  have  to  live  in  it,  I 
know  my  plan  will  work.  How  nice  of  her  to 
have  put  it  in  my  head  I  my  head  must  be  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  out  nice  things  that 
somebody  else  proposes.  Oh  dear  I  there  are  so 
many  desolate  homes  here,  on  earth  I  " 

A  cloud  over  the  bright  face  for  a  minute, 
then  it  cleared  as  she  said,  softly :  "  In  my  Fa 
ther's  house  are  many  mansions  ;  I  go  to  prepare 
a  place  for  you." 

After  all,  that  was  the  place  for  brightness. 
This  was  only  a  way  station ;  never  mind  the 
discomforts,  so  that  many  were  helped  to  the 
right  road  that  the  home  be  reached  at  last,  in 
peace. 

She  paused  at  the  corner  and  looked  towards 
Eurie's  home,  but  shook  her  head  resolutely,  she 
must  not  go  there,  it  was  too  late  ;  though  she 
longed  to  tell  Eurie  that  Marion  was  going  to 
Chautauqua,  and  ask  her  if  she  did  not  think  it 
possible  for  them  all  to  meet  there. 

Then  the  inconsistent  little  creature   sighed 


464         The  Chautauqua  Girls  at  Home. 

again,  for  she  remembered  Eurie's  weary  face 
and  the  long  struggle  with  sickness,  and  the  long 
struggle  with  ways  and  means  to  which  she  was 
looking  forward.  There  was  much  in  the  world 
that  she  would  like  to  brighten. 

Meantime,  Eurie,  in  her  home  around  the  cor 
ner  was  arranging  the  pillows  with  tender  touch 
about  her  mother's  head,  and  drawing  the  folds 
of  the  crimson  shawl  carefully  about  her,  as  she 
said: 

"  Now,  mother,  you  begin  to  look  like  your 
self:  it  makes  a  wonderful  difference  to  get  a 
touch  of  color  about  you." 

A  very  tender  smile  preceded  her  answer. 

"  Dear  child  I  I  will  be  glad  to  get  well  enough 
so  that  you  may  have  a  chance  to  get  a  touch  of 
color  about  you.  You  are  looking  very  pale  and 
tired." 

**  Oh  me,  mine  is  the  brightest  life  you  can  im 
agine  ;  there  is  plenty  of  color  down  in  my  heart 
so  long  as  I  can  think  of  our  Nell  leading  the 
young  people's  meeting,  and  father  to  lead  at  the 
mission  to-morrow,  it  will  rost  me.  I  have  to 
keep  *  counting  my  marcies.'  To  crown  them  all, 
here  you  are  sitting  up  at  this  time  of  night,  with 


A  Parting  Glance.  465 

a  cap  and  wrapper  on  once  more,  instead  of  that 
unbecoming  white  gown  ;  how  pleased  father  will 
be!" 

"We  have  many  mercies,"  the  low,  feeble 
voice  of  the  invalid  said  ;  "  not  the  least  among 
them  being,  our  daughter  Eurie  ;  but  I  could 
wish  that  I  saw  a  way  for  you  to  have  less  care, 
and  more  rest  than  you  will  get  this  summer.  I 
must  be  willing  to  be  very  useless,  your  father 
says,  and  that  means  hard  work  for  you.  When 
Ruth  Erskine  was  in  this  afternoon,  looking  so 
quiet,  and  at  rest,  nothing  to  weary  her  or  hin 
der  her  from  doing  what  she  chose,  I  just  coveted 
some  of  the  peace  of  her  life  for  you." 

"There's  no  occasion,  mother;  I  am  not  by 
any  means  willing  to  exchange  my  life  with  hers  ; 
I  like  my  own  much  the  best.  As  for  rest,  don't 
you  worry ;  there'll  be  a  way  planned  for  what 
rest  I  need." 

Yes,  and  there  was  being  a  way  planned,  even 
then ;  though  mother  and  daughter  knew  noth 
ing  of  it.  How  queerly  people  go  on,  planning 
their  lives,  as  though  they  had  the  roads  opening 
out  into  the  future,  all  under  their  own  care  I 

It  was  at  that  moment  that  Ruth  Erskine,  the 


466         The   Chautauqua   Grirh  at  Home. 

young  lady  who,  according  to  Mrs.  Mitchell,  had 
so  quiet,  and  settled,  and  peaceful  a  life,  that  she 
coveted  it  for  her  daughter,  stood  in  the  great 
hall  that  was  glowing  with  light  and  beauty,  and 
caught  her  breath  with  an  almost  convulsive 
sound,  as  she  rested  against  a  chair  for  support ; 
her  face  deathly  pale,  her  eyes  bright  with  a 
calm  that  she  had  forced  upon  herself,  in  her 
solemn  determination  to  try  to  do  just  the  right 
thing,  say  just  the  right  words ;  her  ear  had 
caught  the  sound  of  a  carriage  that  had  drawn 
up  before  the  door,  and  the  sound  of  a  familiar 
voice  ;  she  knew  that  she  was  now  to  meet  —  not 
only  her  father,  but  her  mother,  and  sister  ! 

Little  they  knew  about  each  other  even  yet, 
with  all  their  intimacy,  those  four  Chautauqua 
girls  I 

But  what  mattered  it,  so  long  as  they  had 
given  themselves  over,  body  and  soul,  into  the 
keeping  of  their  Father  in  heaven,  who  knew 
not  only  the  beginning,  but  the  end  ? 

THE     END. 


In  1833  the  wife  or  Horace  Mann  spent  the 
winter  in  Cuba  under  circumstances  extremely 
favorable  to  an  intimate  knowledge  of  life  there ; 
but  was  under  a  double  restraint  from  making  a 
book,  a  close  and  sympathetic  friendship  and  nu 
merous  hospitalities. 

Nevertheless  the  book  was  written,  but  kept  for 
fifty  years  till  the  death  of  the  last  of  her  friends 
who  figured  in  it. 

Juanita,  a  Romance  of  Real  Life  in  Cuba  Fifty  Years  Ago. 
By  Mary  Mann  (wife  of  Horace  Mann,  sister  of  Mrs.  Haw 
thorne  and  of  the  venerable  Elizabeth  Peabody).  436  pages. 
12mo,  cloth,  $1.50. 

It  is  less  a  romance  than  a  fragment  of  history ; 
less  a  history  than  an  impassioned  picture  of  hu 
man  life  above  and  below  incredible  greed  and 
cruelty ;  less  a  picture  than  protest.  And,  coming 
at  this  late  day  when  freedom  has  blessed  both 
slave  and  master,  it  gives  a  new  zest  to  liberty. 
It  draws  the  reader  from  page  to  page  not  so 
much  by  the  arts  and  resources  of  fiction  as  by  an 
overmastering  sympathy. 

It  is  not  another  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin;  and  the 
times  are  kindlier.  But  the  book  must  be  read. 


A  writer  who  keeps  his  name  to  himself  had 
been  telling  his  children  what  heraldry  had  to  do 
with  our  stars  and  stripes,  with  the  seals  of  the 
United  States,  and  of  the  States  themselves.  "  It 
occurred  to  him  "  —  what  are  we  not  indebted  to 
children  for? — "that  heraldry,  brilliant  with  mem 
ories  of  tournaments  and  hard-won  victories, 
might  interest "  other  youngsters.  Hence  a  play 
ful  book  of  careful  enough  research  into  heraldic 
history,  legends,  usages,  meanings,  proprieties. 

Dame  Heraldry  117  illustrations,  271  pages.  8vo,  cloth, 
$2.50. 

There  is  no  harm  in  knowing  these  things  be 
tween  times,  especially  when  the  knowledge 
comes.  In  the  arulse  of  entertainment 


There  is  nothing  more  refreshing  to  pick  up  in 
odd  minutes  than  a  bright  collection  out  of  the 
poetry  of  all  time  of  the  brightest  on  almost  no 
matter  what  subject,  even  the  weather. 

Through  the  Year  with  the  Poets,  edited  by  Oscar  Fay- 
Adams.  A  volume  a  month  of  about  140  pages  each,  with 
ample  indices.  ICrno,  cloth, 75  cents  each;  parti-colored  cloth, 
$1.00. 

And  dainty  book-making  has  much  to  do  with 
the  pleasure  of  scrappy  reading. 


New  Every  Morning,  a  year-book  for  girls,  by 
Annie  H.  Ryder,  is  a  helpful  thought  or  two,  out  of 
current  writers  mainly,  for  every  day  in  the  year ; 
not  religious,  but  chosen  for  serious  aptitude  to 
the  state  of  things  in  the  world  we  live  in.  196 
pages.  Square  ICmo,  cloth.  $1.00. 


Notable  Prayers  of  Christian  History.  By  Hez- 
ekiah  Butterworth.  So  far  as  we  know,  there  is 
no  other  book  in  which  are  gathered  the  notable 
prayers  of  devout  men  of  fill  times  with  their 
biographical  and  historical  connections.  304  pages. 
16mo,  cloth,  1.00. 


Let  not  the  bookseller  venture  a  word  on  so  ab 
struse  a  subject  as  Browning. 

Christmas  Eve  and  Easter  Day,  and  Other  Poems.  By 
Robert  Browning.  Introduction  by  W.  J.  Rolfe.  The  Theory 
of  Robert  Browning  concerning  Personal  Immortality  by 
IleloiseEdwiiiaHersey.  With  notes.  175  pages.  16ino,  cloth, 
75  cents. 

For  Browning  Classes  and  Clubs.  The  text  is 
in  very  generous  type. 


Faith  and  Action  is  an  F.  D.  Maurice  Anthology. 
Preface  by  Phillips  Brooks.  The  subjects  are : 
Life,  Men,  Reforms,  Books,  Art,  Duty,  Aspira 
tion,  Faith.  269  pages.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 


Quite  a  new  sort  of  history.  School  days  over, 
four  girl  friends  return  to  their  homes  and  life 
begins.  As  often  happens,  life  is  not  as  they 
picture  it.  What  it  was  for  the  four  and  how 
they  met  it  you  shall  read  in  the  quiet  book. 

After  School  Days.  By  Christina  Goodwin.  196  pages. 
12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 

It  is  a  comforting  fact  a  thousand  times  that 
nobody  knows,  to  be  sure  of  it,  what  is  good  for 
him  or  her.  Disappointments  are  often  shorn  of 
their  bitterness  by  the  remembrance  of  it.  Often 
what  we  look  forward  to,  hope  for,  strive  for, 
make  ourselves  anxious  about,  turns  out  to  be  of 
no  particular  value ;  and  what  we  fear  and  strive 
against  turns  out  good  fortune.  Rarely  is  this 
practical  wisdom  made  so  sure  as  in  this  whole 
some  history  out  of  the  stuff  that  dreams  are 
made  of. 


A  practical  help  for  a  girl  to  surround  herself 
with  pleasant  things  without  much  shopping.  The 
book  is  mainly  filled  with  ways  to  exercise  taste 
on  waste  or  picked-up  things  for  use  with  an  eye 
to  decoration  as  well. 

For  a  Girl's  Room.  By  Some  Friends  of  the  Girls.  236 
pages.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 

A  friendly  sort  of  a  book  to  fill  odd  minutes, 
whether  at  home  or  out,  for  herself  or  another. 
By  no  means  on  ' '  fancy-work  "  —  not  all  work  — 
Chapter  XXI  is  How  to  Tame  Birds  and  XXV  is 
What  to  Do  in  Emergencies. 


When  a  novel-writer  makes  a  girl  so  uncon 
sciously  bright  and  catching  in  the  very  first  chap 
ter  he  must  not  complain  if  the  reader  mixes  her 
up  in  a  plot  of  his  own. 

Romance  of  a  Letter.  By  Lowell  Choate.  356  pages.  12mo, 
cloth,  $1.25. 

But  we  are  not  going  to  spoil  a  good  story  by 
letting  the  least  of  its  secrets  out. 


Whether  city  boys  go  to  the  country  or  country 
boys  go  to  the  city  wonderful  things  are  experi 
enced. 

Boys  of  Gary  Farm.  By  Minna  Caroline  Smith.  313  pages. 
12mo,  cloth,  $1.25. 

The  story  lies  between  Chicago  and  Iowa. 
The  boys  get  mixed  up  variously.  It  is  a  Sunday 
School  book  to  this  extent :  The  boys  are  good 
boys  and  the  girls  are  good  girls ;  the  seeing  and 
doing  are  all  well  meant  if  they  are  a  trifle  ad 
venturous  here  and  there. 


The   Spare    Minute  series  of  anthologies  is  en 
riched  by  one  from  Ruskin. 

Thoughts  of  Beauty  from  John  Buskin.    By  Rose  Porter. 
286  pages.    12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 

"  I  have  confined  myself  to  his  discoveries  on 
Nature,  Morals  and  Religion ;  gathering  for  your 
perusal  revelations  of  the  blessed  wonders  of  sky 
and  cloud,  mountain  and  rock,  trees,  mosses,  and 
the  green  grass,  birds  of  the  air,  and  flowers,  and 
the  marvelous  coloring  all  these  display  which  in 
beauty  of  hue  and  delicacy  of  tinting  as  far  out- 
pass  the  works  of  man  as  the  heavens  are  higher 
than  the  earth." — From  The  Introduction. 


Dorothy  Thorn  is  a  first-class  American  novel. 

By  which  we  do  not  mean  to  declare  the  author 
a  Walter  Scott  on  his  second  book.  The  world 
may  take  its  time  and  rate  him  as  it  will;  but 
Dorothy  Thorn  we  are  sure  of. 

It  begins  as  life  begins,  wherever  we  pick  up 
the  threads  of  it,  human.  It  goes  on  the  same. 
The  tale  is  a  sketch  of  not-surprising  events. 
There  is  not  an  incident  told  in  the  book  that  does 
not  seem  tame  in  the  telling,  tame  with  the  unro- 
mantic  commonplace  of  life ;  and  yet  there  is  not 
a  spot  where  the  people  forget  their  parts  or  hesi 
tate  for  words  or  fail  to  suit  the  action  to  them : 
and,  however  easy  the  pages,  the  chapters  move 
with  conscious  strength;  and  the  whole  is  one; 
it  falls  with  the  force  of  a  blow. 

There  is  a  moral  to  Dorothy  Thorn ;  there  are 
more  than  one.  She  is  made  to  live  for  something 
beyond  the  reader's  diversion.  What  that  purpose 
is,  or  what  those  purposes  are,  is  not  set  down  in 
the  book ;  but  nobody  reads  and  asks.  It  is  high 
in  the  sense  of  being  good ;  and  good  in  the  sense 
of  being  successful.  It  touches  the  question  of 
questions,  work ;  and  the  wisdom  comes  from  two 
women  who  do  not  work.  It  touches  never  so 
lightly  the  rising  question,  the  sphere  of  woman  — 
the  wisdom  on  that  is  said  in  a  dozen  words  by  a 
woman  who  has  never  given  her  "sphere"  an 
anxious  thought. 

Dorothy  Thorn  of  Thornton.  By  Julian  Warth.  276  pages. 
12mo,  cloth,  $1.25. 

There  is  hardly  a  less  promising  condition  out 
of  which  to  write  a  novel  than  having  a  hobby  to 
ride ;  and  of  hobbies  what  can  be  less  picturesque 
than  the  question  how  we  who  work  and  we  who 
direct  are  going  to  get  on  together  harmoniously? 

t 


But,  when  a  novel  is  full  of  every  high  satisfac 
tion,  refreshment  and  gratification  in  spite  of  its 
carrying  freight  of  practical  wisdom,  or  rather, 
when  wisdom  itself  is  a  part  of  the  feast  and  the 
flow  of  soul  is  all  the  more  refreshing  for  it,  then, 
we  take  it,  that  novel  stands  apart  from  the  novels 
of  any  time  or  country.  And  such  is  the  Dorothy 
Thorn  of  Julian  Warth.  Not  the  loftiest  flight  of 
imagination ;  simple  in  plot  —  iccleed  there  is  no 
plot  —  the  passing  *>f  time  lets  the  story  go  on, 
and  it  goes  the  easy  way ;  and,  when  it  is  clone,  it 
is  done.  We  close  the  book  with  regret.  The 
exaltation  has  passed;  and  we  are  again  in  the 
world  where  wisdom  is  tame  and  common  things 
bereft  of  their  dignity.  But  we  have  sat  with  the 
gods  and  the  nectar  was  heavenly. 


Stories  have  not  run  out ;  but  we  often  think, 
as  we  read  some  quaint  and  simple  tale  that  be 
longs  to  another  time  or  people,  "  how  good  the 
stories  were  in  those  days!  "  or  "  they  are  better 
story-tellers  than  ours ! "  The  truth  is,  good 
stories  are  rare  and  live  forever.  To-day  may 
lose  them ;  to-morrow  finds  them. 

Swiss  Stories  for  Children  and  for  those  who  Love  Children. 
From  the  German  of  Madame  Spyri  by  Lucy  Whcelock.  214 
pages.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 

So  true  to  child  life  and  family  life,  they  belong 
to  us  as  truly  as  to  the  Swiss  mountaineers. 

Some  of  these  have  delighted  English  ears 
before. 


As  &  people  we  hold  opinions  concerning  the 
rest  of  the  world  notoriously  incomplete.  A  book 
that  makes  us  familiar  with  life  abroad  as  it 
really  is  is  a  public  benefit  as  well  as  a  source  of 
pleasure. 

The  common  saying  goes :  there  is  nothing  like 
travel  for  opening  one's  eyes  to  the  size  of  the 
world,  to  the  diversity  of  ways  of  thinking  and 
living,  and  to  the  very  little  chance  of  our  having 
hit  on  the  true  interpretation  of  everything;  no 
education  is  so  broadening.  But  it  is  true  that 
few  have  the  aptness  at  seeing  strange  things  in  a 
way  to  cemprehend  them;  and  to  see  and  mis 
judge  is  almost  worse  than  not  to  see  at  all. 

There  is  no  preparation  for  travel  or  substitute 
for  it  that  goes  so  far  towards  mending  our  recep 
tivity  or  ignorance  as  an  agreeable  book  that 
really  takes  one  into  the  whole  of  the  life  one  pro 
poses  to  study.  There  is  an  excellent  one  out  just 
now. 

Life  Among  the  Germans.  By  Emma  Louise  Parry.  340 
pages.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.50. 

The  wonder  of  it  is  :  it  is  written  by  a  student- 
girl! —  that  a  girl  has  the  judgment,  the  tact,  the 
self-suppressing  watchfulness,  the  adaptability, 
freshness  and  readiness,  teachableness,  the  charm 
ing  spirit  and  manner  that  lets  her  into  the  inside 
view  of  everything,  makes  her  welcome  in  homes 
and  intimate  social  gatherings,  not  as  one  of 
themselves,  but  as  a  foreigner-learner ;  and  added 
to  all  these  splendid  endowments  the  gift  of  easy- 
flowing  narrative,  light  in  feeling  and  full  of  sub 
stance  ! 

The  book  is  wonderfully  full  in  the  sense  of 
solidity.  Sentence  piled  on  sentence.  Little  dis 
course;  all  observation;  participation.  You  see 
and  share;  and  you  rise  from  the  reading,  not 


with  a  jumble  of  unconnected  information,  but 
with  a  clear  impression  of  having  met  the  people 
and  lived  in  the  fatherland.  You  know  the  Ger 
mans  as  you  might  not  get  to  know  them  if  you 
lived  for  a  year  or  two  among  them. 


Nobody  but  Mrs.  Diaz  could  get  so  much  wit, 
good  sense,  and  bright  nonsense  out  of  barn 
lectures  before  an  audience  of  nine  by  a  philoso 
pher  of  eight  years  and  a  month.  But  trust  the 
author  of  the  Cat  Book,  the  William  Henry  Letters, 
Lucy  Maria,  Polly  Cologne  and  the  Jimmyjohns. 

The  John  Spiccr  Lectures.  By  Abby  Morton  Diaz.  99 
pages.  16mo,  60  cents. 

All  in  perfect  gravity.  These  are  the  subjects : 
Christmas  Tree,  Knives,  Swapping,  Clothes,  Food, 
Money.  And  the  passages  where  the  applause 
came  in  are  noted.  The  applause  and  groans  are 
often  important  parts  of  the  text. 


Excellent  reading  are  sketches  of  eminent  men 
and  women  if  only  they  are  bright  enough  to 
make  one  wish  they  were  longer.  A  great  deal 
of  insight  into  history,  character,  human  nature, 
is  to  be  got  from  just  such  sketches. 

Here  are  two  bookf  uls  of  them : 

Stories  of  Great  Men  and  Stories  of  Remarkable  Women. 
Both  by  Faye  Huntingdon.  136  and  99  pages.  IGmo,  cloth, 
60  cents  each. 

Both  the  great  men  and  remarkable  women,  of 
Avhom  by  the  way  there  are  twenty-six  and  twenty- 
two,  are  chosen  from  many  sorts  of  eminence; 
but  they  are  sketched  in  a  way  to  draw  from  the 
life  of  each  some  pleasant  practical  lesson.  Not 
designed  for  Sunday  Schools  apparently ;  but  good 
there. 

* 


Can  you  imagine  a  more  welcome  visitor  than  a 
civilized  Chinaman  with  the  recollections  of  the 
flowery  land  still  fresh,  but  seeing  with  our  eyes 
and  estimating  by  our  weights  and  measures,  and 
gifted  with  a  tolerable  English  tongue? 

When  I  was  a  Boy  in  China.  By  Yan  i'liou  Lee.  112  pages 
16mo.  cloth,  60  cents. 

The  author,  grandson  of  a  mandarin,  son  of  a 
merchant,  born  in '61,  went  to  the  Government 
School  at  Shanghai,  and  in  '73  was  chosen  one  of 
the  thirty  sent  to  the  United  States  to  be  educa 
ted. 

He  writes  on :  Infancy :  House  and  Household ; 
Cookery;  Games  and  Pastimes;  Girls  of  My  Ac 
quaintance;  School  and  School-life;  Religions; 
Holidays;  Stories  and  Story- tellers  (gives  a  speci 
men  story) ;  How  I  Went  to  Shanghai ;  How  I 
Prepared  for  America ;  First  Experiences. 

The  narrative  is  personal.  Jumps  right  into 
it.  Tells  of  himself  as  a  baby,  of  course  from 
knowledge  of  what  happens  to  boy  oabies  there. 
Illustrates  Lowell's  commendation  of  President 
Lincoln's  English  —  "  strikes  but  once  and  so  well 
that  he  needn't  strike  but  once."  An  easy  writer, 
graceful  enough,  but  quick  and  done  with  it ;  full 
of  his  subject,  and  yet  not  over-fond ;  impatient 
lest  his  reader  tire.  He  need  not  hurry.  We  are 
eager  listeners,  not  at  all  critical. 

An  American  boy  of  twelve  beginning  life  in  the 
heart  of  China  and  writing  a  book  at  twenty-six 
"  When  I  was  a  Boy  in  America  "  would  indeed  be 
a  remarkable  man  to  write  so  well ! 

May  Yan  Phou  Lee  have  a  million  readers  I 


A  deeper  book  concerning  self -education,  what- 
•ever  other  education  may  be,  and  growth  of  bodj 
and  soul. 

Hold  Tip  Tour  Heads,  Girls!  By  Annie  H.  Ryder  197 
pages.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.00 

The  girls  are  supposed  to  be  out  of  school. 
How  to  Talk,  How  to  Get  Acquainted  with  Nature, 
How  to  Make  the  Most  of  Work,  What  Can  I  Do? 
What  to  Study?  and  so  on  to  the  eleventh  chap 
ter,  Youths  and  Maidens. 

All  depends  on  the  preacher.  The  preacher  is 
kind  and  wise. 


Still  another;  but  this  is  a  story  of  mothers  and 
daughters.  Ruth  was  untidy.  Busy  with  books. 
No  time  for  trifles.  Work  would  have  to  come 
sometime,  let  it  come  when  it  must,  but  why  so 
soon?  And  Alice  was  busy  with  music.  There 
were  four  of  them. 

How  They  Learned  Housework.  By  Christina  Goodwin. 
149  pages.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 

If  you,  young  girl,  imagine  you  are  going  to 
learn  housework  by  reading  the  book,  you  had 
better  read  it  and  find  your  mistake ;  for  next  to 
knowledge  itself  is  the  knowing  how  to  get  it. 


A  New  England  Idyl,  by  Belle  C.  Greene,  is  a 
story  right  out  of  the  soil ;  and  the  soil  is  pretty 
well  taken  up  with  stones,  and  leans  up  edgewise 
besides.  This  rough  and  hard  New  England  has 
had  its  share  in  forming  American  character. 

12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 

The  Idyl  is  work.  The  story  is  good  enough 
without  any  Moral.  The  Moral  is  more  than  any 
story. 


The  praise  of  a  book  of  travel  is  rightly  held  to 
be  "It  is  next  to  the  journey  itself." 

Some  Things  Abroad.  By  Rev.  Alexander  McKenzie, 
D.  D.  450  pages.  12ino,  eloth,  $1.50. 

You  sit  by  your  evening  lamp  and  read,  as  if 
from  the  letters  of  a  friend,  the  record  of  his 
daily  experiences.  He  sees  the  north  and  south 
of  Europe,  via  Constantinople  into  Asia,  tbe  Holy 
Land,  etc. 

As  in  the  case  of  friendly  letters,  your  enjoy 
ment  in  reading  depends  on  the  writer's  geniality 
quite  as  much  as  on  the  news  he  has  to  tell  of  his 
wanderings.  What  could  be  more  agreeable  than 
to  be  taken  thus  to  the  far-off  haunts  of  seekers 
after  knowledge  and  pleasure  without  the  toilsome 
goings  and  waitings  and  coming  back  at  the  end 
of  it  all.  You  have  the  shade  of  your  own  home 
trees  in  the  hot  afternoon  and  delicious  sleep  in 
your  own  home  bed  and  the  sound  of  your  break 
fast  bell  in  the  morning;  nevertheless  you  have 
seer  Some  Things  Abroad  and  talked  them  over 
delightfully.  You  probably  know  quite  as  much 
about  them  as  many  who  bear  the  tossings  and 
dust  and  tossiugs  again  of  a  journey  a  quarter 
round  the  world.  For  our  part  we  ask  no  better 
company.  Dr.  McKenzie  tells  it  off  so  gayly,  we 
can  hardly  believe  in  the  hardships  of  seeing. 

The  book  has  the  air  of  talking  over  the  day  in 
the  cool  of  *,he  evening,  only  two  or  three  of  us 
there. 


Garland  from  the  Poets,  selection  of  short 
miscellaneous  poems  by  Coventry  Patmore,  with 
not  a  word  of  comment  or  explanation  beyond  the 
poets'  names.  250  pages,  128  poems.  16mo,  cloth, 
75  cents. 


Never  were  easier  stories  told  than  the  Cats* 
Arabian  Nights.  If  Pussyanita  lives  till  the  chil 
dren  tire  of  reading  or  hearing  them  read,  she  will 
live  to  be  very  old  indeed.  They  softened  King 
Grimalkum  and  saved  the  lives  of  Pussyanita  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  cats. 

Cats'  Arabian  Nights ;  or  King  Grimalkum  and  Pussyanita. 
By  Abby  Morton  Diaz.  227  quarto  pages  and  full  of  cat 
pictures.  8vo,  boards,  $1.25. 

Mrs.  Diaz  puts  most  wonderful  wisdom  into 
nonsense,  and  nobody  gives  it  the  credit  of  seri 
ousness.  It  takes  the  wisdom  underneath  to  give 
it  the  fizz. 

A  Book  of  Golden  Deeds  of  All  Times  and  Lands 
is  a  series  of  fifty  tales  of  heroic  and  noble  actions 
culled  out  of  history  by  Charlotte  M.  Yonge  "  for 
the  young,  and  intelligent  uneducated  people  "  by 
which  the  learned  author  means  not  for  historians. 
' '  Enough  of  the  surrounding  events  have  in  gen 
eral  been  given  to  make  the  situation  comprehen 
sible,  even  without  knowledge  of  the  general 
history."  And  "there  is  a  cloud  of  doubt,"  she 
says  in  her  preface,  "  resting  on  a  few  of  the 
tales,  which  it  may  be  honest  to  mention,  though 
they  were  far  too  beautiful  not  too  tell."  466 
pages  including  a  time-table.  12mo,  cloth,  $1.25. 


Waifs  and  their  Authors  is  a  collection,  by  A. 
A.  Hopkins,  of  poetry  worthy  of  preservation, 
mainly  out  of  newspapers  and  by  living  writers 
not  yet  ranked  as  Poets  —  with  notes,  personal, 
biographical,  critical,  genial  always,  under  twenty- 
one  names.  317  pages. 


N 


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